Delightfully informal family photographs of The Queen as a young girl, as a young wife and mother, on holiday and enjoying the company of her children and dogs are joined by more formal images illustrating the official life of the monarch, on grand state occasions, such as the Coronation, the State Opening of Parliament and Trooping the Colour - not to mention her memorable encounter with James Bond and her dramatic arrival at the ceremony marking the opening of the 2012 London Olympics.

Each photograph is accompanied by resonant quotations from speeches given by The Queen over the years, from her wartime Children's Hour radio broadcast at the age of 14 and her first televised Christmas Day broadcast in 1957 to her speeches welcoming Commonwealth leaders and US Presidents to Buckingham Palace or responding to the warm hospitality extended to her on state visits to India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean.

Love of family, fondness for animals, a keen sense of humour, staunch belief in the Commonwealth as a force for good in the world, and gratitude to all the people around the world who go out of their way to help their communities - these are among the themes that come across from this photographic journey through a remarkable life of duty and service.