Prince William praises his grandmother the Queen in new biography

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Prince William paid tribute to the Queen in the preface of a new biography
Examining the Queen's public role, the biography will be published next week
Duke praises her 'example and continuity' through periods of great change
Queen insisted on no celebration, but will be opening a Scottish railway line

Published: 03:19 EST, 23 August 2015 | Updated: 17:41 EST, 23 August 2015

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Prince William has praised his grandmother’s ‘innate sense of calm and perspective’, as she is set to break the record for Britain’s longest-reigning monarch next month.

As well as paying tribute to her ‘example and continuity’, he describes the ‘privilege’ of witnessing the private side of the Queen, ‘as a grandmother and great-grandmother’.

The Duke of Cambridge gives an insight into his relationship with his grandmother, in the preface of a new biography about the Queen, to be published this week.

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Paying tribute: Prince William (left) has written in praise of his grandmother the Queen (right) in the preface of a new biography, which will celebrate the Queen as she becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history next month

He describes how the world has changed immeasurably since her birth in 1926, but how over the last 90 years she has embraced progress to become a figure of continuity.

On September 9, at about 5.30pm, the 89-year-old Queen Elizabeth will have been on the throne for 63 years, seven months and two days, equalling the record held by her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria.

I think I speak for my generation when I say that the example and continuity provided by the Queen is not only very rare among leaders but a great source of pride and reassurance.

Prince William

William, 33, wrote: ‘Over the last 90 years, the world has changed more rapidly than at any time in history. When my grandmother the Queen was born in 1926, the wounds of the Great War were still healing, but few would imagine how soon they would be re-opened.

‘The confidence of the previous century had morphed into uncertainty and many worried – as they still do – about the challenge presented to our communities by rapid technological and social change.

He continued: ‘I think I speak for my generation when I say that the example and continuity provided by the Queen is not only very rare among leaders but a great source of pride and reassurance.

In a rare moment of revelation about his future role as king, William described the Queen as his ‘model for a life of service to the public’.

The father-of-two added: ‘Time and again, quietly and modestly, the Queen has shown us all that we can confidently embrace the future without compromising the things that are important.’

Warm praise: As well as paying tribute to the Queen in her role as a public figure, he honours the role she plays within his own family, as a grandmother and great-grandmother

Respect: At around 5.30pm, the Queen will overtake Queen Victoria as Britain's longest-serving monarch, but she has chosen not to celebrate the event out of respect to the former Queen

But he took the moment to praise his grandmother as a family member, as well as a public figure.

He wrote: ‘From a personal point of view, I am privileged to witness the private side of the Queen, as a grandmother and great-grandmother.

‘The Queen’s kindness and sense of humour, her innate sense of calm and perspective, and her love of family and home are all attributes I experience first-hand.

Cover: The book features a striking painting of the Queen in the 70s by Elizabeth Peyton

‘All of us who will inherit the legacy of my grandmother’s reign and generation need to do all we can to celebrate and learn from her story.

‘Speaking for myself, I am privileged to have the Queen as a model for a life of service to the public.’

He adds that ‘no mention of the Queen is complete without paying tribute to my grandfather Prince Philip, who has devoted his life to supporting her.’

Prince William’s words appear in the preface to Lord Douglas Hurd’s new biography of the Queen, entitled Elizabeth II: The Steadfast.

In his role as former home and foreign secretary, Lord Hurd was able to get to know the Queen from a first-hand perspective.

The book – to be published by Penguin on August 27 – examines the Queen’s role as a public figure of continuity, and what she has given by her public service over a period of such dramatic change.

The Queen has insisted that no special celebration be held to commemorate the day.

Instead, three photographic exhibitions are to be held at royal palaces, with a range of collectible china on sale bearing the words ‘Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: Our Longest Reigning Monarch’.

On the day itself, the Queen will be opening a new railway line in Scotland and riding in a carriage pulled by a steam engine.