We were supposed to go and play in the palace gardens whenever we cared to, but for some reason, this was never a popular expedition and smacked too much of putting on good clothes and having to behave. From Chapter 5 page 60

{HISTORY}

Marion Crawford, affectionally known as Crawfie, was the governess for seventeen years to Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret from the time they were four and six years old. The one person with the most intimate knowledge of the girls in their childhood was Crawfie. She spent every day with them, teaching, playing, traveling and engaging, but it wasn't all Tudor roses and prestigious royalty. Marion sacrificed a lot in her personal life, making the experience bittersweet.

Her observations are the only ones on record that speak to the character of the girls during their young, tender childhood years as their personalities emerged and their characters formed. It is a fascinating look at the day to day, behind-the-scenes life of what would seem like a fairy tale childhood lived in the most extraordinary and history-filled surroundings. But Marion is determined to portray the true story, not of privileged little princesses but of how they were really regular little girls, much more normal and down-to-earth than you might have expected. Here they were, encased in a shell of aloofness from the common kind - in an institution of exclusiveness built up by centuries of tradition around English royalty. Yet they grew up completely untarnished - like hardy little native plants..."

Spanning the years from her first arrival at the palace to the wedding of Elizabeth and the birth of Prince Charles, Marion shares a plethora of fascinating details about the royal family that no one had ever been privy to before on such a scale.  

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Stated First Edition 

- Published in 1950

- Includes two black and white photo sections as well as an insert describing more about the book and the author

- Contains decorated endpapers

- 314 pages

{CONDITION}

In beautiful condition, like-new condition. No spots or stains. Tight spine. All pages intact. No dust jacket. 

{SIZE}

Measures 5.5" inches (width) x 8.25" inches x 1" inch (depth)

{WHY IT IS ESPECIALLY MARVELOUS}

For sentences like this....

The best memory of all is of a Scottish garden, with the moors behind, wine red, and the air full of the scent of wood smoke, and gorse warmed by the sun, on a summer's morning.  And coming over the garden toward me, three figures all dressed in blue. The little Duchess and her two daughters, as I knew them first, long ago.

Marion is a beautiful writer, offering glimpses into a privileged world that none of us will ever experience.