During the childhood years of Queen Elizabeth II, one of the most
famous women who ever lived, a young governess helped shape her into the
icon the world knows 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 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 the
trauma of the Abdication, the glamour of the Coronation, the onset of
World War II. She steers the little princesses through it all, as close
as a mother.
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, her future husband.
But being beloved confidante to the Windsor family 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 brings to life the early years
before Queen Elizabeth II became monarch.
"This captivating page-turner whisks readers back in time to
Buckingham Palace in 1933...A majestic story that delves into the
incredible life of Queen Elizabeth II before she took her place on the
throne."--Woman's World
