Book Launch - The Queen in Pocket: Eva Grippa in conversation with Ornella Tarantola

EVENT IN ITALIAN LANGUAGE

Join us for an evening of contemporary Italian literature in partnership with Ornella Tarantola of Italian Books.

Renowned journalist Eva Grippa will be joined by Ornella Tarantola for a fascinating introduction to her latest book, The Queen in Pocket, published by De Agostini in 2026, in which the audience will be invited on a metaphorical journey through the life of the world's most famous, longest-reigning and unforgettable queen.

With a life spanning ninety-six years and a reign of seventy, Queen Elizabeth II became both a historical figure and a global icon long before her death. She remains an integral part of Britain's collective identity—one in which every Briton can recognise themselves, including the Italian community that calls London home.

In the year marking the centenary of her birth, The Queen in Pocket arrives in the shadow of Buckingham Palace. This beautifully illustrated coffee-table book is designed for both devoted royal enthusiasts and curious newcomers: a compact yet richly detailed guide packed with fascinating facts about the only historical figure commonly referred to simply by the definite article—The Queen.

Through one hundred entries, the book offers an ironic and, at times, irreverent portrait of Elizabeth II, revealing the woman behind the public image while exploring every pop-cultural facet of her seemingly unflappable persona, alongside the past, present and future of the House of Windsor.

18.00 Doors open

18.30 Conversation starts

Eva Grippa, has been a journalist with la Repubblica since 2004 and is Deputy Editor of d.repubblica.it. As the newspaper's royal expert, she writes across the group's publications, curates the Royality Show newsletter, and presents the Saturday video column The Royal Watcher.

She holds a PhD in Journalism and regularly delivers lectures and seminars at universities. She also appears frequently as a commentator on radio and television programmes for RAI and La7.

In 2018, she launched @royalbaby.it, an Instagram account dedicated to the world's royal families. Since 2020, she has written and narrated the podcasts The Queen at 70 and Diana Forever, produced by la Repubblica for OnePodcast.

As an author, she has published Elisabetta e le altre. Dieci donne per raccontare la vera regina (De Agostini, 2021), Kate. Luci e ombre della futura regina (De Agostini, 2022), which was translated into Polish in 2022 as Kate, Przyszła Królowa, and The Queen in Pocket (De Agostini, 2026).

£8.50 / £6.50 Estorick Members and Students

Please note that the conversation will be in Italian.