British royals choose historian to write Queen Elizabeth II biography
Keay, best known for her work chronicling Britain's Republican period between 1649 and 1660, said receiving the role was a "profound honour".
Britain's royal family today (19 April) said that historian Anna Keay would write an official biography of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022 after more than 70 years on the throne.
King Charles III had wanted a woman to write the definitive account of his mother's life, according to British media.
Keay, best known for her work chronicling Britain's Republican period between 1649 and 1660, said receiving the role was a "profound honour".
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She will have access to Elizabeth's personal and official papers held in the Royal Archives, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
She will also be able to speak with members of the royal family, as well as the queen's friends and household staff, the palace added.
Keay described Elizabeth as "an extraordinary woman whose life spanned a century of great change".
"I am deeply grateful to His Majesty The King for entrusting me with this responsibility and for granting me access to her papers, and will do all I can to do justice to her life and work," she said.
Official royal biographies can sometimes reveal unexpected details about their subjects' lives.
William Shawcross's official biography of Elizabeth's mother, the wife of George VI, revealed that she suffered from bowel cancer in her 60s but was successfully treated.
