And while I thought I knew quite a bit about Queen Elizabeth II’s life, I somehow overlooked the very fascinating story of her governess, Marion Crawford, and am glad The Royal Governess brought her to light, highlighting the real person she likely was beyond her primary claim to fame of writing a book about the Royals behind their back. I love the sudden plethora of Windsor historical fiction, inspired by the popularity of The Crown, as it seemed before like no one wanted to attempt a depiction of the current Queen or her parents, because she and many who knew them were still living. In a majestic story of love, sacrifice, and allegiance, bestselling novelist Holden shines a captivating light into the years before Queen Elizabeth II took the throne, as immortalized on the popular television series The Crown. She puts her private life on hold until released from royal service following Princess Elizabeth’s marriage in 1947. But being beloved governess and confidante to the Windsor family has come at a cost. Afterwards, she is there when Elizabeth first sets eyes on Philip. From her ringside seat at the heart of the British monarchy she witnesses the upheaval of the Abdication and the glamour and drama of the 1937 Coronation.ĭuring the war, as Hitler’s Heinkels fly over Windsor, she shelters her charges in the castle dungeons (not far from where the Crown Jewels are hidden in a biscuit tin). Her one stipulation to their parents the Duke and Duchess of York is that she bring some doses of normalcy into the sheltered and privileged lives of the two young princesses.Īt Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Balmoral, Marion defies oppressive court protocol to take the girls on tube trains, swimming at public baths, and on joyful Christmas shopping trips at Woolworth’s. In 1933, twenty-two-year-old Marion Crawford accepts the role of a lifetime, tutoring their Royal Highnesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose.

Sunday Times bestselling author Wendy Holden brings to life the unknown childhood years of one of the world’s most iconic figures, Queen Elizabeth II, and reveals the little-known governess who made Britain’s queen into the monarch we know today.

The royal governess