the little princess book by marion crawford

What if the rightful heir to the British throne was actually a young black scientist living in Barbados? This is the premise of Jane Stevenson’s exquisite novel, part historical narrative, part piercingly contemporary analysis of spin. Jane Stevenson – The Empress of Last Days Hardman is particularly good on the eccentric presents she received, from a pair of Brazilian jaguars to a baby crocodile in a biscuit tin. And she charmed them all without giving anything away. She met some rotters along the way, like Ceausescu and Amin, as well as Mandela and JFK. Hardman tells the story of this untold diplomatic career, splicing examples of the way HM deployed “soft power” with plenty of gossipy insider chat. The Queen spent more time travelling the world than any other monarch, constantly negotiating political minefields with the lightest of treads. Crawfie was drummed out of her grace and favour flat and never spoken to by any member of the royal family again. Crawfie’s book may seem slightly coy to us today, but it does contain gossip about George VI and the Duchess of Windsor that horrified the Queen Mother, who had warned her that royal servants needed to be “utterly oyster”. She published an account of her life as governess to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret without the full permission of the royal family. In 1950, Crawford experienced the full chill that comes with being cast out of royal favour into utter darkness. Marion Crawford – The Little Princesses : The Story of the Queen’s Childhood by Her Nanny Her achievement was to ensure that her employer was quite simply the most instantly recognisable person in the world. Kelly became a much trusted personal assistant to the Queen, not only coordinating all those hats and coats in primary colours, but also designing outfits from scratch. But Kelly, who worked as the Queen’s dresser for nearly 30 years, is the exception. Royal servants are not supposed to get too close the royal family, and they are certainly not supposed to write books about them. Angela Kelly – The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe

The little princess book by marion crawford