The Good Servant: From the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author comes a sweeping royal historical fiction romance novel to escape with in summer 2023!

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Here, you'll discover not just the publication year, which is essential for understanding the context and evolution of the series, but also a succinct summary that teases the story without spoiling any surprises. This fictionalised account of a real story follows Marion Crawford, a young Scottish woman who finds herself becoming the governess for the tiny Princesses, Lilibet and Margaret, and follows her years with them, until an awful misunderstanding occurs, causing her to be cast out of the Royal fold, after many, many years of devoted service. Registered office address: Unit 34 Vulcan House Business Centre, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EF. The story of Marion Crawford -- governess to the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret from 1932 to 1950 -- is a compelling one; the writing of Fern Britton, for me, is less so.

in Britain, was the year of three kings – King George V, who died; King Edward VIII, who abdicated; and King George VI. Marion, or “Crawfie”, as the six-year-old future Queen Elizabeth II quickly named her, remained a loyal employee of the Royals for seventeen years. For further information about your statutory rights, contact your local authority Trading Standards department or consumer advice centre (for example the Citizen's Advice Bureau if you are in the UK). There are twists as readers see what mistakes are made and motives uncovered, involving a certain man in her life. I believe the author has perfectly captured the attitudes and core values of the era as well as the strength of feeling within the royal household as they prepared to face one of the biggest scandals in the history of the British monarchy.Marion “Crawfie” Crawford, a governess to the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, for the most part sacrifices her own happiness, nuptials and education, to become a dedicated and loyal servant to the monarchy.

This included her hopes to work with young Scottish children and a lengthy engagement to the man she loved, even though he is depicted as a rather underhand character.

On another occasion, Fern revealed how impressed she was by the Queen during an event which had personal significance to her own family, as well as to Her Majesty. Fern Britton leaves her readers in no doubt that Marion’s first true loves were the princesses; by her reckoning it didn’t take long for Marion to fall under the spell of her charges and the then Duchess of York which makes her subsequent ostracism from their lives all the more tragic. How sad it was to read how the loyal governess was ultimately ostracised by the entire Royal family. Indeed my knowledge of the scandal surrounding Marion Crawford’s (or Crawfie as she was better known) fall from grace was, I’m ashamed to say, nonexistent.

It really shows Fern's great respect and sadness in and around the event and is a great prelude to the story she goes on to tell. These everyday activities had previously been inaccessible to the royal children and there is no doubt that Crawfie’s influence was the start of the modern royal family! I’d heard of Miss Crawford (Crawfie) before but don’t know her full or story or the scandal that happened later on in her life.

She lives with her husband Phil Vickery, the well respected chef, and her four children in Buckinghamshire. Enjoyable fiction based on fact, this novel is centred on Marion Crawford, who was the governess to the Queen and Princess Margaret and made many sacrifices to be in this role.