The Little Princesses, Marion Crawford
The Little Princesses, Marion Crawford
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The Little Princesses
The Story of the Queen's Childhood by Her Nanny, Marion Crawford

Author: Marion Crawford, Jennie Bond

Narrator: Sophie Roberts

Unabridged: 8 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/13/2021

Synopsis

Originally published in 1950, The Little Princesses was the first account of British Royal life inside Buckingham Palace as revealed by Marion Crawford, who served as governess to princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

A twenty-two year old teacher recruited to look after the Duke and Duchess of York's young daughters in 1931, Marion Crawford—affectionately known as "Crawfie" by her charges—spent sixteen years with the Royal family as the children's governess. From King Edward VIII's abdication of the throne in order to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson and King George VI's subsequent crowning and all the way to Elizabeth's courtship and marriage to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Crawfie's memoir offers an intimate and revelatory perspective of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood during one of the most momentous eras in British history.

Initially honored as a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order for her loyal service to the crown, Crawfie was later demonized by the press and ostracized by the royal family for the rest of her life as a result of The Little Princesses' publication. When compared to the modern media's relentless obsession with the House of Windsor, Crawfie's touching account of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret's youth presents a poignant reminder of how much life has changed for the British Royals.

About Marion Crawford

Marion Crawford, or "Crawfie," as she was known to young Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, was born in the Scottish countryside and studied teaching at the Moray House Training College in Edinburgh. In the early 1930s, she became governess to the daughters of the Duke and Duchess of York, little suspecting that she would devote the next sixteen years to nurturing her future Queen. Her account of life as a royal governess originally appeared in American magazines, but soon became a front-page sensation on both sides of the Atlantic. The first edition of The Little Princesses was published in 1950, and although it created a scandal, it was nonetheless a valuable social history and the first inside account of life at Buckingham Palace. Crawford died in 1988, having never been forgiven by the royal family for writing her book.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Hannah on September 15, 2022

3.5-4🌟 It was fun to hear how the queen and her sister were just like normal girls growing up. Wanting to do typical things, while still being trained to act properly and wear the right dresses and talk the right way. This was a fun book to listen to, easy to follow. It was also so interesting to hea......more

Goodreads review by Megan on January 03, 2019

This book caused quite a controversy when it was released in 1950. From the standards of today, it is quite tame but from reading it I can understand why it caused upset. This book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the childhood and young adulthood of our current Queen Elizabeth II and her sister M......more

Goodreads review by Brooke — brooklynnnnereads on May 24, 2021

This was an interesting read from a non-fiction perspective of Queen Elizabeth II's nanny Marion Crawford aka Crawfie. It's sad that there was so much fallout in regards to Marion Crawford with the publication of this book. Understandably, it would be a breach in privacy but from various accounts du......more

Goodreads review by sophie on December 14, 2022

a weirdly fun read! i was really excited to read this, as im sorta interested in this topic. this book didnt disappoint! it gave a lot of useful info, while also being intriguing in a way.......more

Goodreads review by Maribeth on March 28, 2019

Marion Crawford's controversial memoirs as a royal governess provide a very interesting, inside look into the private lives/childhoods of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. It's a bit slow-moving, though. There comes a point where you can only read so many letters from Queen Mary, or hear so......more

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