The Queen was ‘the worlds most respected leader’ says Gyles Brandreth

Queen Elizabeth II: Gyles Brandreth pays tribute to monarch

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Gyles Brandreth, 74, was a friend of the late Queen and her husband Prince Philip for many years. The TV star was introduced to royalty after meeting through his role as chairman of one of Philip’s favourite charities, the National Playing Fields Association.

Following Her Majesty’s death, Gyles provided the public with an insight into what she was really like behind the scenes during his coverage for the BBC from her death until her state funeral on September 19.

The historic ceremony saw a host of world leaders, royalty and other dignitaries gather in London to pay their respects to the monarch.

This included US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and France’s Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking to Express.co.uk in the weeks following the funeral, Gyles commended the Queen for securing her status as “the world’s most respected leader”, even after the downfall of the British Empire.

He said: “The Queen reigned for 70 years, an extraordinary role model and an internationally respected figure.  

“It is very special. But she was 96.

“So, although [her death] is of course tremendously sad and leaves a great void, nonetheless, what an amazing life.

“To be still on duty doing your thing aged 96 two days before you die, it’s fantastic.”

It comes as Gyles has explored more than 1,000 years of British history in his new book, A History of Britain in Just a Minute.

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Dubbed a “hilariously addictive romp through British history”, Gyles takes readers through the UKs most defining moments as though he was playing the popular BBC Radio 4 game, Just a Minute.
 
On his new venture, the former MP explained: “On the radio, what they do is they genuinely give you these subjects and you have got to improvise for 60 seconds without hesitation, deviation or repetition on that subject.

“So, the challenge was to do exactly that and it was much trickier than I thought because it is so easy to repeat things…but it was fun to do.
 
“It was fun thinking about all the things that make up our history from 1066 to Paddington Bear, so many different things to cover and fun doing it in that way.

“The idea is, if you want to, you can play the book at home like a game.

“Give somebody a subject, like Guy Fawkes, and see how they do against the clock. Then, you can read my version and see if I’ve done any better.

“Although, I don’t think I got everything right so don’t get the book to help you through your GCSEs!”
 
A History of Britain in Just A Minute by Gyles Brandreth out now RRP £16.99 (BBC Books). 

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