#HappyBirthdayYourMajesty

Today is the day where Queen Elizabeth II becomes not only the longest reigning monarch in British history, but the first to reach the age of 90. Massive congratulations are in order!

Lovely author and passionate Royal-watcher Colin Edwards has been making the headlines too this week, and even made a television appearance in BBC documentary "The Day I Met the Queen" lead by Aled Jones, in the run up to the historic event of Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday today!

Credit: ITV Cymru

Over the past thirty years, Colin has met the Queen hundreds of times and has taken over six thousand of snaps of her. Colin is a familiar face to many members of the Royal Family, and was always referred to by name by Princess Diana - "Boys, come and meet my friend Colin!"

Colin says: “You’ve got to have a lot of stamina and be prepared to wait for hours sometimes, standing behind the barriers at the front. The Queen has obviously got to know me very well now, and she will come over and have a few words.”

Photograph from A Personal Portrait of the Royal Family

From these warm interactions, Colin has collected an impressive touching and honest portfolio of photographs, capturing a more personal and natural side to the Royal Family, displayed in his book published in 2014, A Personal Portrait of the Royal Family.

Colin continues: “My photographs are different because, unlike the paparazzi and professionally taken photographs, these were taken for my own pleasure. Yes I am an amateur, but my photographs benefit from that, they capture Her Majesty’s informality”

Credit: Ian Lang (Twitter)

In celebration of the historic 90th birthday, Colin is hosting a fortnight-long photography exhibition in his home town of Ruthin in North Wales, where he's displaying previously unseen photographs of Queen Elizabeth.

He also was interviewed by Aled Jones in a BBC five-part documentary “The Day I Met the Queen” which started on April 18th, and he has written a poem for the Queen which he sent to Windsor Castle as a birthday present, as is his tradition. Colin's photograph exhibition marking the Diamond Jubilee in 2000 was even attended by the Queen Mother herself (albeit with a few bodyguards as +1s)

“The Queen Mother attended my exhibition to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee accompanied by several bodyguards. She stayed admiring my photographs for nearly an hour, and she even signed my guest book. I think that, after all my interactions with her and her family over the years, it was her way of saying ‘thank you’. That was probably the highlight of my life.”

Candy Jar wishes a Happy 90th Birthday to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and many more!

A Personal Portrait of the Royal Family is a Candy Jar Books publication, and is available to purchase now directly from Candy Jar and to order from at all good retailers.

A Personal Portrait of the Royal Family

A familiar face at royal events, Colin Edwards, has collated his vast collection of photographs of the Royal Family to create a new book. Featuring never-before-seen images of Her Majesty The Queen, The Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales a public events, the author also provides emotive, personal accounts of his meetings with the Royals.

Queen Elizabeth II is now longest-reigning monarch in history - and Colin Edwards was there to celebrate!

On Sunday, thousands tuned in to view the commemorative Songs of Praise event,  "Tribute to a Queen - The Big Sing" at the Royal Albert Hall, in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen as she made history and became the longest-reigning monarch. And so of course our very own Colin Edwards, dedicated royalist, talented photographer, and published Candy Jar author, was just one in the crowds at the London venue ready to enjoy the music and join the festivities in celebration of a national figurehead, and a family, to whom his life's work has been dedicated from the young age of twelve.

Colin, who has met The Queen over 150 times throughout the years and is a regular invitee to Royal garden parties, was among countless celebrity faces at the event, which included appearances from musicians such as Gustav Holst and Gary Barlow, as well as special guests Lesley Garrett, Alexandra Armstrong and a choir of five thousand!

Colin’s book A Personal Portrait of the Royal Family features an extensive and unique collection of photographs of the Royal Family, including intimate and never-before-seen photographs of the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II and the late Princess Diana.  

On his tireless support and photography of the now longest-reigning Queen Elizabeth II, Colin says, “I get such a buzz from it. I’m always on ‘cloud nine’ after meeting Her Majesty. It is the anticipation of this euphoria which keeps me going, no matter how long I have to wait or how cold it gets. Everyone is there for the same reason.”

The show was spectacular and, in true British fashion, culminated in a roaring performance of “God Save The Queen” by all of the choirs involved and the entire congregation. What a fitting way to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s record-breaking reign of 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes.

Colin’s book A Personal Portrait of the Royal Family is available from both Amazon and the Candy Jar website, and you can catch up on  "Tribute to a Queen - The Big Sing" here.

PETER GEORGE, THE BBC AND THE BOMB

In anticipation of the upcoming release of the official novelisation of Stanley Kubrick's classic film Dr Strangelove or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb, none other than Auntie herself, the BBC, popped round to talk to Candy Jar Books head honcho, Shaun Russell, about its author, the late Peter George.

A simultaneously uproarious and scathing satire of the madness of Mutually Assured Destruction, Dr Strangelove imagines a nuclear doomsday brought about by mistake. Funny enough to earn a top-three spot in the American Film Institute's rankings of all-time best comedies, so troubling as to necessitate upon its release the inclusion of a reassuring disclaimer courtesy of the US Air Force, it is a landmark of cinema. But while well-deserved attention has been lavished on Stanley Kubrick for his role in its creation, the full story of Strangelove, the secret of its alchemic cocktail of belly-laughs and spine-chills, is only to be found in the work of the late Peter George.

Before the character of Strangelove was born out George and Kubrick's shared imagination, George was the author of the 1958 novel Red Alert / Two Hours to Doom, a troubling and entirely serious dissection of the potential shortcomings of nuclear procedure on both sides of the Cold War. Considered so prescient as to become almost required reading for the nuclear strategists of the day, the book also attracted the attention of Stanley Kubrick, who contacted George to suggest the two work together to adapt it into a black comedy for the silver screen. This they did, and the result was  cinematic history.

But what is less well-documented is that George then proceeded to re-adapt the film back into print. The official novelisation of Dr Strangelove maintained the scabrous comedy of the movie, reinstated various elements excised from the final screenplay, and also introduced original elements from George's singular imagination. The character of Strangelove, perhaps Peter Sellers' finest ever role, also inspired George to produce an 8,000 word short story on the mastermind/madman's younger, less-apocalyptic days.

This never-before-published story is included in the upcoming edition of the official novelisation of Dr Strangelove: or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb, to be published by Candy Jar Books in June. The edition will also include an introduction by Peter George's son, David George, and will be followed by the publication of Peter George's work in its entirety, starting with Red Alert /Two Hours to Doom. Also to look forward to is a biography on Peter George, by Rhys Lloyd.

Read the BBC article here.

WHO AT COWBRIDGE!

Fans of Doctor Who can meet two leading authorities on the BBC TV show at an event hosted by the Cowbridge Book Festival on 25th September. Alastair Reynolds, author of the BBC’s Doctor Who: Harvest of Time and Andy Frankham-Allen, author of Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants and will both be there to discuss writing, the long running popular sci-fi series and sign copies of their books.

Alastair Reynolds is one of the world's most renowned science fiction writers. Having won the British Science Fiction Award for his book Chasm City in 2001, the Doctor Who legacy was in more than capable hands when he turned his pen to Doctor Who. Harvest of Time transports readers back to the Jon Pertwee era, with UNIT, Jo, the Brigadiers and the Master in full attendance. The story centres on the Sild as they escape confinement and threaten to rewrite history.

Andy Frankham-Allen has been a Doctor Who fan since his childhood and has relished the opportunity to write Companions in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the series. The book follows the narrative of the series as seen through the eyes of the Doctor's ever-faithful companions and features a foreword by Gary Russell.

Both authors will be discussing the show with the Comic Guru's Kristian Barry. There will also be a charity raffle, where attendees will be able to win merchandise covering each Doctor (supplied by Candy Jar Books & The Comic Guru). These include signed Katy Manning and Deborah Watling photos, a copy of the Paul McGann TV Movie, Big Finish audios and comics, as well as signed copies of Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants. Tickets are available from www.cowbridgebookfestival.co.uk

The Cowbridge Book Festival hosts a number of literary events across the year raising money for Noah's Arc and Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

EILEEN TO APPEAR ON THE ONE SHOW!

Eileen Younghusband (author of 'One Woman's War' and soon-to-be-released 'Men I Have Known') has just completed filming for the BBC’s The One Show. She was approached by the TV show’s producers to talk about her World War II experiences, in particular her work in the Filter Room. Here's how her day of filming went last week:

"It was a day starting at 9 o'clock filming with the presenter Marty Joplin in my house and then a 12 o'clock we had lunch in a village by the Severn Bridge. Transferring to a Land Rover, we headed into the depths of the countryside across a very muddy field which was licensed for rocket launching. We then got stuck in the mud in the middle of a vast field and had to be pulled out by the farmer and his tractor!As we waited for the rocket to be set up and launched, it was glorious sunshine but just when it was ready, torrential April showers and a thunderstorm arrived with vivid lightening. so we filmed under an umbrella. The first two rockets failed to ignite so we had another wait back in the Land Rover. The third was successful but we again filmed in pouring rain.

We did two filmings with a rocket. The second successful one launched well but it should have had a small parachute emerge as it landed so as not to break the rocket – this one failed to open! Fortunately this part was not filmed but the rocketeers were left with a very expensive ruined rocket! After that, we filmed in the Land Rover discussing maths whereupon the sun came out and an enormous rainbow appeared.

We moved to a narrow lane where they set up a model V2 with its correct markings, nose down in the grass, and we then explained all the calculations, waving my slide rule in the air – I was told to explain it clearly and simply! Unfortunately Marty’s mike was not working and then the camera got rain on its lens but we eventually did two good takes. Finally the order came to WRAP!

By then it was 6 o'clock. I was driven home via Newport railway station to drop off Marty, arriving at 7 o'clock in the evening, absolutely shattered.... Quite a day!"

The date of broadcast has yet to be confirmed, but we will post an update as soon as we know.

www.candyjarbooks.co.uk

AUTHOR TALKS ABOUT HER VALUES ON RADIO WALES

Candy Jar author Eileen Younghusband has appeared on Radio Wales, talking to Phil George about the values that helped her as an officer in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in World War Two.

You can hear the broadcast via iPlayer here.

www.candy-jar.co.uk