Oxford Dictionary Delivers Verdict on Queen Elizabeth’s Reign — And It Is Anything But Kind
As Britain prepares to honor what would have been Queen Elizabeth's 100th birthday, Oxford's official biography has sparked debate with its surprisingly pointed assessment of her reign.
As Britain prepares to mark what would have been Queen Elizabeth II's 100th birthday, a prestigious academic institution has chosen this moment to deliver a verdict on her reign that is already dividing opinion — and not entirely in her favor. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (DNB), widely regarded as the definitive record of notable British public figures, has published its official entry on the late monarch, and the language used has raised more than a few eyebrows. One would assume it to be a celebratory tribute befitting the longest-reigning monarch in British history; the citation is anything but that, prompting one royal expert to brand it 'mean-spirited and begrudging.'
The focal point of the controversy is the DNB's assertion that Queen Elizabeth "made some missteps, particularly in relation to her family." While the entry stops short of naming names, few will struggle to read between the lines. The phrase is widely expected to be interpreted as a nod to the Palace's fraught handling of the former Duke of York’s association with Jeffrey Epstein, the public unraveling of her children's marriages, and the deeply criticized royal response in the immediate aftermath of Diana, Princess of Wales' death in 1997.
Those were the moments that tested the public's trust in the monarchy at its most fragile. The entry also notes that during her seven-decade reign, "the United Kingdom ceased to be a great power in the world, and evolved into a multi-cultural, multi-faith, multi-ethnic society" — a nation it observes that bore little resemblance to the one into which she was born. To these seismic shifts, the DNB records, she adapted "slowly and not always enthusiastically, but on the whole wisely and well."
However, credit where it’s due, the entry also has its share of genuine compliments. Spanning more than 100 pages, the citation acknowledges that Elizabeth navigated Britain's post-imperial identity with quiet dexterity, noting she "deftly fronted retreat and reinvention abroad" and "gradually adjusted the British monarchy to the post-Victorian and post-imperial world" — all, remarkably, "without ever letting on in public that was what she was doing."
The entry closes on a note that edges closer to the reverence many feel she deserved throughout: "She sought to embody national identity, historical continuity, and political stability; she created a new global role for a new global community, and she did more than anyone to hold the UK and the Commonwealth together." It signs off with one of her own quiet observations — "You can do a lot, if you're properly trained. And I hope I have been" — before concluding simply: "She had been, and she did."
For Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, however, the overall tone left something to be desired. "Whilst I wouldn't expect the entry to be gushing, it comes across as rather mean-spirited and begrudging," he said. "There's nothing inaccurate about it, but, in my opinion, it could — and should — have been more upbeat." The DNB, for its part, has defended its approach. A spokesman said: "At the Oxford DNB, we ask our authors to write a balanced account of a person's private and public life that will serve as a guide to modern Britain for decades to come."
The Queen's entry is one of 229 new additions to the record covering notable figures who died in 2022, alongside entries for figures such as the late Queen's former press secretary, Ronald Allison, novelist Hilary Mantel, and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.
