In Royal Service to the Queen
Book Feature - In Royal Service to the Queen by Tessa Arlen
HBL Note: A few years ago I started following @eholmes on Instagram, sparking my interest in the Royal family. She hooked me by talking about their strategic use of fashion, something that appealed to my PhD in fashion history. But I found myself growing more and more interested in the family themselves, their individual roles within the family, and their purpose in British society. It was an interesting time to start following the Royal family as Harry and Meghan decided to step back from being full-time working members of the family.
IN ROYAL SERVCE TO THE QUEEN by Tessa Arlen, who I interviewed along with a feature of her book Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders, is about Marion Crawford who is known as being the first woman to give an inside account of what it is like to live in Buckingham Palace. The now infamous Oprah special with Harry and Meghan by all means wasn’t the first (neither was Diana’s.) IN ROYAL SERVICE TO THE QUEEN. is perfect for fans of The Crown or @eholmes. Scroll down to read more.
Book Feature - In Royal Service to the Queen by Tessa Arlen
Book Feature - In Royal Service to the Queen by Tessa Arlen
From the publisher:
Tessa Arlen’s IN ROYAL SERVICE TO THE QUEEN is primarily the story of a woman whose deep devotion to two young girls—and later two young women—was her driving force in life. Critically acclaimed for her skill at bringing history to the page, Arlen delivers possibly her best work yet. She not only paints her heroine, young Scotswoman Marion Crawford, as a strong, likeable, and sympathetic woman, but she captures Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret with tangibly lifelike and endearing portrayals as well.
In a decades-spanning story sure to appeal to fans of The Crown and readers of historical fiction alike, Arlen exquisitely balances the two lives Marion led during her fourteen years in royal service. We get to see her daily life in Buckingham Palace as a stalwart champion for Elizabeth to marry the man she loves and a constant admirer of Margaret’s wit and charm. But just as memorable are her trips back home to rural Scotland, where her heart aches at leaving her mother and grows with her own love for a local war veteran.
Book Feature - In Royal Service to the Queen by Tessa Arlen
