The Little Princesses

The publication of The Little Princesses in 1950 marked a watershed as far as the Royal Family were concerned. For the first time a trusted insider had written a book about their daily lives, routines and relationships. Unlike much that came later, the tales told by Marion Crawford, the princesses' governess, are free of scandal and malice; she presents an affectionate and respectful picture of a close and loving family during a highly eventful period of their lives, from the early Thirties through the Abdication and Second World War to the late Forties, the marriage of Elizabeth and Philip and the birth of Prince Charles. However, as well as portraying unquestioningly lives full of privilege and duty, she reveals many details that the Royal Family regarded as an invasion of their privacy. She is, for example, particularly concerned about Princess Margaret's health and her wilful nature, quoting Princess Elizabeth's comment when her father has become King: 'I really don't know what we are going to do with Margaret.' Princess Elizabeth herself can be obsessively neat and tidy: 'We soon laughed her out of this', Crawfie remarks. Life in Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, holidays in Balmoral and Sandringham are all described here charmingly and often perceptively, and Crawfie's sense of obligation and service led her to postpone her own marriage and so delay a chance of a personal life for herself. Whatever her intentions, Marion Crawford paid a high price in writing what she did. Although her achievement was to provide a very down-to-earth and normal upbringing for the two girls, and tame as her revelations may now seem, after the publication of this book the Royal Family never spoke to her again. This edition includes photographs and a foreword by Jennie Bond, long-time royal correspondent for the BBC. (Kirkus UK)