The Royal Governess by Wendy Holden

The Royal Governess by Wendy Holden

A beautifully woven and exquisitely detailed story of strong upstairs/downstairs women.--Heather Morris, New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Sunday Times bestselling author Wendy Holden brings to life the unknown childhood years of one of the world's most famous figures, Queen Elizabeth II, and reveals the spirited young governess who made her the icon we love today.

In 1933, twenty-two-year-old Marion Crawford accepts the role of a lifetime, tutoring the little Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Her one stipulation to their parents the Duke and Duchess of York is that she bring some doses of normalcy into their sheltered and privileged lives.

At Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral, Marion defies stuffy protocol to take the princesses on tube trains, swimming at public baths, and on joyful Christmas shopping trips at Woolworth's. From her ringside seat at the heart of the British monarchy she witnesses twentieth-century history's most seismic events. The trauma of the Abdication, the glamour of the Coronation, the onset of World War II. She steers the little girls through it all, as close as a mother.

During Britain's darkest hour, as Hitler's planes fly over Windsor, she shelters her charges in the castle dungeons (not far from where the Crown Jewels are hidden in a biscuit tin). Afterwards, she is present when Elizabeth first sets eyes on Philip.

But being beloved confidante to the Windsors comes at huge personal cost. Marriage, children, her own views: all are compromised by proximity to royal glory. In this majestic story of love, sacrifice and allegiance, bestselling novelist Holden shines a captivating light into the years before Queen Elizabeth II took the throne.

Before becoming a full-time novelist, Wendy Holden (UK) worked as a journalist for the Sunday Times, Tatler, and The Mail on Sunday. She has now released nine novels, all of which have reached the top ten bestseller lists in the United Kingdom. Gorgeous People, Farm Fatale, Absolutely Divine, Gossip Hound, The Women of Bath, The School for Husbands, Azur Like It, and Filthy Wealthy are among her novels.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780593101339
ISBN 10	0593101332
Title	The Royal Governess
Author	Wendy Holden
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Penguin Putnam Inc
Year published	2021-02-23
Number of pages	448
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.