Since we sent the last issue of Radio Times to press on the day that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died, millions of words have been spoken on air – and many hundreds of hours of footage have been shown – dedicated to our late monarch.

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At Radio Times, we find ourselves in the privileged position of being able to look back over her life through the lens of our own archive to see how profoundly she changed an ancient institution through the modern medium of broadcasting.

Appearing on our cover more than any other person, it's immediately clear to see that the Queen had a unique understanding of the power of broadcasting to change not only institutions but also hearts and minds.

For this week's special commemorative issue, we reproduced nine classic Radio Times royal covers to chart each of her decades lived out on the airwaves.

Radio Times cover 19th September

Also in this week’s Radio Times:

  • Sir Simon Schama describes the Queen’s genius of appearing both mystical and ordinary at the same time as “an astonishing thing to pull off”.
  • Andrew Marr, Sir Michael Morpurgo and a panel of TV historians, including Kate Williams, discuss the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II through nine classic RT covers.
  • Karen Jankel, the daughter of Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond, says the Jubilee concert sketch between Paddington and the Queen was the “final time we saw her up close” and that Paddington – like the Queen – represents the best in all of us.

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