A letter to book clubs
Why did I write Marion Crawford’s story? How could I not?
I heard about Marion Crawford in 1988: the year she died, aged 78, widowed and alone in a nursing home, remembered only by her solicitor entrusted with boxes of photographs, drawings and letters from the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret when they were children. Crawfie’s memories of her life with the Windsor family are now in the royal archive at Windsor Castle.
Why had this devoted woman who had been Queen Elizabeth’s governess for sixteen years die alone and ostracized by the family she loved and served? What on earth had she done to be shunned so cruelly for the last forty years of her life?
Apparently the cause of Crawfie’s exile from palace life was the book The Little Princesses she wrote when she retired from loyal service to the family through the abdication crises; the princesses’ father, the Duke of York, becoming King George VI; and the long hard years of the war that she spent looking after the princesses at Windsor Castle. Her years in service had certainly been eventful ones. Had her book divulged such a scandalous revelation of the Windsor family that its writer could not be forgiven?
To my surprise there wasn’t one single thing in Crawfie’s The Little Princesses that could possibly offend: not one breach of loyalty or confidentiality, and no juicy pages of tittle-tattle about royal private lives. If anything, the governess’s memories of the royal family were endearing: the princesses were beautifully mannered, kind and good fun; their parents were devoted and loving. Crawfie’s approval and affection for the family shone from every page. And this publication had been the reason for her lifelong banishment? Why?
I found myself asking what it would have been like to undertake the sort of demanding, selfless service Marion Crawford gave to the Windsors—particularly rare today. I was touched by how proud she was of the girls: she wrote about them with the same protective love as a mother— particularly so since she had put off marriage to the man she loved until Elizabeth became engaged to Prince Philip, a man I knew her family, and the palace courtiers, deemed a catastrophic choice for the future Queen of England.
It was clear that there had been a misunderstanding between the governess and her royal employer Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother about the publication of the book, and one of mammoth proportions. This is my story of four women: two princesses growing up in isolation during WWII at Windsor Castle to become young women in post-war Britain; their devoted governess who tried to introduce a little ‘ordinariness’ into their lives as she put her life on hold to marry the man she loved, and a strong minded queen who wholly supported her husband in doing a job he had never wanted in the first place.
TESSA ARLEN
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Questions Discussionfor
1
Had you heard of Marion Crawford before you read In Royal Service to the Queen and, if so, did you come to this book with any preconceptions about her relationship with the Windsor family? Or was Marion’s life as the royal governess to princesses Lilibet and Margaret Rose new to you?
2
As portrayed in the novel, contrast Marion’s relationship with her mother with the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret’s relationship with their mother. Was Marion as dutiful to her mother as Princess Elizabeth was to hers? How much have children’s relationships with their parents changed since the 1940s?
3
When Marion first meets the princesses, they are very young. How does this first meeting influence their relationship going forward?
4
In the late 1930s and throughout the war years, Marion sought to bring a sense of ordinariness to the princesses’ lives. As portrayed in the novel, what sorts of things did she do with and expect from the princesses to offset palace formality and sycophancy?
5
In contrast to today’s standards for female independence, do you consider Marion to be more independent than most women of her age and generation? What was Marion’s greatest fear that may have convinced her to pursue marriage with George?
6
Lilibet is a rather serious and dutiful young woman, whereas her sister, Margaret, is outgoing and often outspoken. Which sister do you identify with? Do you believe that Marion had a favorite princess, and if she did, why?
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As portrayed in the novel, Queen Elizabeth, as consort to King George VI, was described in her day as, “A marshmallow made on a welding machine,” by Cecil Beaton. Do you think this is an apt description of the queen? 8
Marion comes from a very humble background. How much influence do you think she had on the future Queen of England? Did she believe that her role as governess was to influence her charges or protect them? How did her relationship with the princesses change as they grew from childhood into adolescence and adulthood?
As portrayed in the novel, how much do you think George Buthlay influenced Marion’s decision to “go it alone” and write the articles about the princesses for Ladies’ Home Journal ? 12
Marion is described as the first royal servant to “kiss and tell.” Did her book have any impact on the lives of royal servants in future years?
Do you believe Marion deserved to be ostracized by the Windsor family for writing the articles about the Little Princesses for Ladies’ Home Journal ? 10
Marion worked to help support her mother financially, and later, with her earnings from the Princess articles, she provided for her and George’s retirement. How does that contrast with societal expectations of women in postWWII Britain and the United States?
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Five Movies
about the Royal House of Windsor and the British people from 1920 to 2008
Bertie & Elizabeth Bertie the Duke of York (later King George VI): James Wilby
The love story and courtship of the couple who would become King George VI and his Consort Queen Elizabeth.
The King’s Speech
King George VI: Collin Firth
Lionel Logue: Geoffrey Rush
King George VI has a pronounced stutter made worse by his antipathy for public speaking. With Lionel Logue’s help the two men work to overcome the king’s speech impairment. The heart of the movie is the strong bond that forms between the king and his speech therapist.
Darkest Hour
Winston Churchill: Gary Oldman*
King George: Ben Mendelsohnn*
May 1940: the fate of world hangs on Winston Churchill who must decide whether to negotiate peace with Adolf Hitler or fight on. One of the best movies of the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk and the stark reality of what it would mean if Britain lost WWII.
The Crown: Season 1
Princess Elizabeth: Claire Foy*
King George: Jared Harris
Princess Margaret: Vanessa Kirby
The first, and best, season of this fascinating epic. Scenes clearly depict the closeness of the Windsor family and the immensely strong bond that Elizabeth and Margaret had with their father.
The Queen
Queen Elizabeth II: Helen Mirren*
Tony Blair: Martin Sheen*
Opening with the death of Princess Diana, Britain’s new Prime Minister, Tony Blair, tries to persuade Queen Elizabeth to break her summer at Balmoral and return to London to bring ‘comfort’ to her subjects. The queen faces personal, family, and national conflict in stepping away from royal protocol.
*Two thumbs-up performances
Moments from the Royal House of Windsor
What’s in a name?
During WWI (1914-1918) there was such anti-German feeling among the British people that King George V and his government decided to change the family name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to something more traditionally acceptable. What better name to take than the ancient castle of Windsor—parts of which date back to the 13th century. From 1917 onward Britain’s royal family have been styled the Windsors.*
When Elizabeth and Philip married she took his name—Mountbatten. When she became queen the family was styled Windsor—not Mountbatten which caused Philip a good deal of resentment.
But inside the Windsor family life is not quite so formal: Philip called his wife of seventy years Cabbage. Derived from ‘mon petit chou’ the French equivalent of my darling.
Growing up Elizabeth’s close family and friends called her Lilibet, probably taken from her first attempts to pronounce her name as Tillabet.
Everyone enjoys a tipple now and then!
Although technically not a Windsor, King Edward VII (Bertie) great grandfather to the present queen, is endearing in his eccentricities and was a dedicated Edwardian bon viveur. He loved good food, beautiful women and the best champagne—and he indulged liberally in all three pleasures. Hosts were expected to provide twelve delicious courses for dinner with the perfect wine pairing for each one. After dinner it was to the card table, with a little supper and a glass or two before bedtime—the king’s current mistress was always invited wherever he went.
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s favorite cocktail was gin and Dubonnet. She was a convivial drinker and loved to get together with friends for a cocktail hour that started early. Queen Elizabeth enjoys the occasional gin and Dubonnet too, but her favorite time of the day is teatime.
The queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, was a famed party-girl but she detested champagne and would pour it out in plant pots and wastepaper baskets if she was given a glass of bubbly. She drank
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scotch with a drop of Highland Spring water or splash of soda. Her good friends made absolutely sure that they had a bottle or two of her favorite blend: Famous Grouse when Ma’am darling came to stay.
Princes William and Harry, and Duchess Kate all enjoy a pint of beer. Kate particularly enjoys Guinness!
Camilla Duchess of Cambridge has more elevated tastes—she is a wine connoisseur. Her father was in the wine business, so she was brought up like a little French girl: enjoying the occasional glass of wine and water.
From Briton’s ancient kings to the present day every monarch has had his or her favorite breed of dog.
King Edward VII had a beloved Wire Fox terrier named Caesar. Caesar was highly-strung, aggressive to those he didn’t know and smelly—and the king’s most loyal friend. He slept in a chair next to the King’s bed, accompanied him on trips and even had his own footman. His collar was adorned with a tag stating, “I am Caesar. I belong to the King.” When Edward died Caesar walked at the head of the funeral procession, faithfully following his master’s coffin.
It was King George VI who was responsible for introducing Pembroke Welsh corgis into the royal family. In 1933, he brought Dookie home from a friend in Wales who bred corgis for herding. Dookie immediately won the hearts of his daughters and was described as “unquestionably the character of the Princesses’ delightful canine family.” And even though Pembroke Welsh corgis are almost synonymous with Queen Elizabeth II, she has bred Labrador retrievers at the Sandringham Estate for decades.
Some years back one of the queen’s female corgis mated with Princess Margaret’s dachshunds. The result was a playful brood of what became lovingly known as Dorgies.
