The Windsor Diaries: My Childhood with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret
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- Author：Alathea Fitzalan Howard
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Summary
The never-before-published diaries of Alathea Fitzalan Howard， who lived alongside the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret at Windsor Castle during the Second World War。
Alathea's home life was an unhappy one。 Her parents had separated and so during the war she was sent to live with her grandfather， Viscount Fitzalan of Derwent， at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park。 There Alathea found the affection and harmony she craved as she became a close friend of the two princesses， visiting them often at Windsor Castle， enjoying parties， balls， cinema evenings， picnics and celebrations with the Royal Family and other members of the Court。
Alathea's diary became her constant companion during these years as day by day she recorded every intimate detail of life with the young Princesses， often with their governess Crawfie， or with the King and Queen。
From ages 16 to 22， she recorded the tight-knit， happy bonds between the Royal Family， as well as the aspirations and anxieties， sometimes extreme， of her own teenage mind。
These unique diaries give us a bird's eye view of Royal wartime life with all of Alathea's honest， yet affectionate judgments and observations - as well as a candid and vivid portrait of the young Princess Elizabeth， known to Alathea as 'Lilibet'， a warm， self-contained girl， already falling for her handsome prince Philip， and facing her ultimate destiny: the Crown。
Alathea's home life was an unhappy one。 Her parents had separated and so during the war she was sent to live with her grandfather， Viscount Fitzalan of Derwent， at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park。 There Alathea found the affection and harmony she craved as she became a close friend of the two princesses， visiting them often at Windsor Castle， enjoying parties， balls， cinema evenings， picnics and celebrations with the Royal Family and other members of the Court。
Alathea's diary became her constant companion during these years as day by day she recorded every intimate detail of life with the young Princesses， often with their governess Crawfie， or with the King and Queen。
From ages 16 to 22， she recorded the tight-knit， happy bonds between the Royal Family， as well as the aspirations and anxieties， sometimes extreme， of her own teenage mind。
These unique diaries give us a bird's eye view of Royal wartime life with all of Alathea's honest， yet affectionate judgments and observations - as well as a candid and vivid portrait of the young Princess Elizabeth， known to Alathea as 'Lilibet'， a warm， self-contained girl， already falling for her handsome prince Philip， and facing her ultimate destiny: the Crown。
Reviews
Katie
，
Very entertaining， especially if you enjoy British royals history
Beth
，
I did enjoy this but reading diaries can be boring。 You need to be a fan of the Princesses to read this。 During WWII Alathea was sent to live with her grandfather at Cumberland Lodge， while the Princesses were sent to Windsor Castle。 She became a companion of theirs and just adored the whole Royal Family。 Alathea had a horrible family so she was glad to get to be apart of the Royal Family and she knew just how special she was。 She also knew her time with them would be short。 She had hoped to be I did enjoy this but reading diaries can be boring。 You need to be a fan of the Princesses to read this。 During WWII Alathea was sent to live with her grandfather at Cumberland Lodge， while the Princesses were sent to Windsor Castle。 She became a companion of theirs and just adored the whole Royal Family。 Alathea had a horrible family so she was glad to get to be apart of the Royal Family and she knew just how special she was。 She also knew her time with them would be short。 She had hoped to be made a lady in waiting but sadly for her that never happened。 She wrote in her diary every day for over 60 years！ She did want them published one day and I think this was a good way to do that。 I laughed several times because I am reading a teenager's diary。 She thought very well of herself and did not understand why others did not find her so charming。 She always described what the Princesses were wearing which I thought to be so funny。 She was very obsessed with fashion。 She was also very sad because while she loved the Royal family， she also knew she was an outsider and not really part of their family。 。。。more
Rachel Boothe
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This book is the diary of Althalea Fitzalan Howard that she kept from 1939 - 1945， during WWII。 During this time she lived at Cumberland Lodge which was very close to Windsor Castle。 It details her friendship with Princess Elizabeth， now Queen Elizabeth II， and Princess Margaret as well as her family life， which was not the best。 Althalea would have eventually been the Duke of Norfolk， if she had been a boy。 In this book， Althalea confirms the close， loving family life that Queen Elizabeth grew This book is the diary of Althalea Fitzalan Howard that she kept from 1939 - 1945， during WWII。 During this time she lived at Cumberland Lodge which was very close to Windsor Castle。 It details her friendship with Princess Elizabeth， now Queen Elizabeth II， and Princess Margaret as well as her family life， which was not the best。 Althalea would have eventually been the Duke of Norfolk， if she had been a boy。 In this book， Althalea confirms the close， loving family life that Queen Elizabeth grew up in， which was in contrast to her own。 The book in no way demeans the British Royal Family， but in fact， presents them in a very positive light through Althalea's adoring eyes。 It is not the happiest diary， but I did enjoy reading it。 It was something that Althalea wanted to be published and I am happy that it was。 。。。more
Susan
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While it was a page-turner of a book， it was also very tragic。 I expected some light-hearted read of romps through the private gardens at Windsor Castle and yes， there was that， but the diarist was a truly sad person who seemed obsessed with the Royal Family and especially with the current Queen's parents。 Understandably， Alathea had a non-existent family life because of her parents' separation but if you read it， you'll understand immediately that she also had mental health issues。 On the one h While it was a page-turner of a book， it was also very tragic。 I expected some light-hearted read of romps through the private gardens at Windsor Castle and yes， there was that， but the diarist was a truly sad person who seemed obsessed with the Royal Family and especially with the current Queen's parents。 Understandably， Alathea had a non-existent family life because of her parents' separation but if you read it， you'll understand immediately that she also had mental health issues。 On the one hand she claimed to love and admire the Queen， but she insulted her clothing choices， groom choice， painting talent， etc。 Even the fact that the Queen served in some capacity during WWII。 Don't read it， Your Majesty， just put the book down！ 。。。more
Kevin
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with this book。 It’s just not for me。 I am fascinated by The Royal Family — and have only grown more intrigued by them and their histories over the past year or so。 I was looking forward to reading this book。 The book is perfectly fine for any reader。 It just never really sucked me in like I was hoping for。 The book is entirely diary entries — So， it’s written in that form which is a nice format。 It makes sense for the author of the diary to use nicknames as she There is absolutely nothing wrong with this book。 It’s just not for me。 I am fascinated by The Royal Family — and have only grown more intrigued by them and their histories over the past year or so。 I was looking forward to reading this book。 The book is perfectly fine for any reader。 It just never really sucked me in like I was hoping for。 The book is entirely diary entries — So， it’s written in that form which is a nice format。 It makes sense for the author of the diary to use nicknames as she is writing — After all， it’s her diary and it’s truly intended for her to understand。 But， as an outsider and someone who doesn’t know an immense history of The Royal’s， it was hard to follow at times。 Again， that’s no fault of the author by any means though because it’s her diary and it’s how she chose to dialogue。 The plethora of footnotes were meaningful and explained a lot。 Growing up as the author did and her association with The Royal Family was definitely a mind blowing childhood and adolescence。 Her experiences are conveyed well。 I’ll pick this one up again once I get caught up on The Crown （I have only seen Seasons 1-3 so far） and have more background about The Royal’s。 。。。more
Erin
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The Windsor Diaries: My Childhood with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret is the never before published diaries of Alathea Fitzalan Howard who kept a diary her whole life and during WWII she was close friends with Princess Elizabeth & Margaret。This was an interesting read， though because of the diary format it was funny to read the inconsequental thoughts of a teenage girl。 I do with the footnotes would have been on the same page to make it easier to read and understand them as you were readi The Windsor Diaries: My Childhood with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret is the never before published diaries of Alathea Fitzalan Howard who kept a diary her whole life and during WWII she was close friends with Princess Elizabeth & Margaret。This was an interesting read， though because of the diary format it was funny to read the inconsequental thoughts of a teenage girl。 I do with the footnotes would have been on the same page to make it easier to read and understand them as you were reading the diary。 。。。more
Jill
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A gentle read， a peek inside the daily life of Alathea Howard， who spent much of her youth in the company of the young royals。
Elizabeth Chandler
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I received an ARC of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 An excellent inside look into having a friendship with the royal family during the war。 The normal troubles of a teenager/young woman mixed with the society of the monarchy during trying times。 It is easy to forget that Queen Elizabeth was once also a little girl and this book helps to bring back that reality。 It wasn’t the most exciting of reads but it is a diary and that is expected。
Federica
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These book is based on the diaries of Alathea Howard between 1940 to 1945。Alathea was living with her grandfather in Windsor and got to become friendly with the Royal Family。She wasn't close to her parents and found in the royal family the emblem of the perfect， warm， loving family。 Nice， interesting read。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 These book is based on the diaries of Alathea Howard between 1940 to 1945。Alathea was living with her grandfather in Windsor and got to become friendly with the Royal Family。She wasn't close to her parents and found in the royal family the emblem of the perfect， warm， loving family。 Nice， interesting read。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jean-Luc
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A captivating look at the war years in England through the diaries of Alathea Fitzalan Howard and her relationship with the future monarch and her sister Margaret。 The author started keeping a personal diary at 16 when she was sent to live with her grandfather at Windsor at the beginning of the conflict in late 1939。 A companion to the princesses between 1940 and 1945， her personal narrative is an incredible treasure trove of anecdotes and vignettes about the royals during the War and an opportu A captivating look at the war years in England through the diaries of Alathea Fitzalan Howard and her relationship with the future monarch and her sister Margaret。 The author started keeping a personal diary at 16 when she was sent to live with her grandfather at Windsor at the beginning of the conflict in late 1939。 A companion to the princesses between 1940 and 1945， her personal narrative is an incredible treasure trove of anecdotes and vignettes about the royals during the War and an opportunity to get a more intimate glimpse at Elizabeth's life during WWII。 A delightful look at wartime England and its monarchy that should definitely be enjoyed by many royal buffs。 Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read this wonderful book 。。。more
Jamie
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The Windsor Diaries gives a great look at life in England during the years of WWII。 It tells the story of Althea who relocated to her grandfather's estate in the country due to the bombing occuring in London。 There a couple of things that make this diary unique。 The first thing is that Althea's grandfather's place was close to the castle that Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret stayed in for much of the war。 Althea was close in age to Princess Elizabeth and so developed a friendship with he The Windsor Diaries gives a great look at life in England during the years of WWII。 It tells the story of Althea who relocated to her grandfather's estate in the country due to the bombing occuring in London。 There a couple of things that make this diary unique。 The first thing is that Althea's grandfather's place was close to the castle that Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret stayed in for much of the war。 Althea was close in age to Princess Elizabeth and so developed a friendship with her。 Glimpse of which can be seen in the diary。 The second thing that makes this unique is that Althea is Catholic in time and place where being Catholic is a very unpopular thing to be。 I would use it in my classroom as a supplemental material to give students a first hand account of a life during this time frame from someone who is not much older than themselves。 。。。more
Sharon Brewer
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Thank you to Atria Books and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book。 The opinions expressed are my own。I really enjoy reading books about the Royals-I find their lives and history very interesting。 This is the diary of Alathea Fitzalan Howard， who grew up and remained friends with Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret。 This diary contains a lot of details and gives the reader a different view of the Princesses。 I liked it， but sometimes I had a hard time following what was going Thank you to Atria Books and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book。 The opinions expressed are my own。I really enjoy reading books about the Royals-I find their lives and history very interesting。 This is the diary of Alathea Fitzalan Howard， who grew up and remained friends with Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret。 This diary contains a lot of details and gives the reader a different view of the Princesses。 I liked it， but sometimes I had a hard time following what was going on。 I guess that is because it was a diary， and maybe that was just me。 I would have liked to see the footnotes （with the explanations of people and places） placed throughout the chapters instead of at the end of the chapter。 This book was very well done if you like story written in diary form。 。。。more
Lucy-Bookworm
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I was really looking forward to reading this book - a bit of an insiders story about the wartime life at Windsor castle by someone who was a contemporary/playmate of Princesses Elizabeth & Margaret 。。。 unfortunately I was very disappointed。 I am sure Alethea was a lovely young lady but her diaries just highlight the fact that she was very spoilt。 “I hate even putting my fingers into dirty water” （Washington up）， “I should hate to tidy my room and make my bed etc I’m not mad either to look after I was really looking forward to reading this book - a bit of an insiders story about the wartime life at Windsor castle by someone who was a contemporary/playmate of Princesses Elizabeth & Margaret 。。。 unfortunately I was very disappointed。 I am sure Alethea was a lovely young lady but her diaries just highlight the fact that she was very spoilt。 “I hate even putting my fingers into dirty water” （Washington up）， “I should hate to tidy my room and make my bed etc I’m not mad either to look after myself”。 She seemed obsessed by clothes and it feels like every other sentence was about what she/the princesses were wearing “I changed into my pale green and white frock”， “The princesses had the same awful blue and pink shantung dresses on”， Alethea had a very old-fashioned attitude and seems fixated on what is appropriate for a princess， constantly says thing like “it’s not very becoming” or “I think the Queen is wrong to allow it” or “I really cannot understand them allowing her to do it” - yet her obsession with the royal family had her running at every call and desperately hanging on to everything they were doing。 As time moved on she became desperate to be appointed Lady-in-Waiting but this did not happen。 Overall， I was very disappointed but some people may enjoy this。 Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley。 Whilst thanks go to the publisher for the opportunity to read it， all opinions are my own。#TheWindsorDiaries #NetGalley 。。。more
Kay Cugini
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A beautiful diary read， I really felt part of what was going on。 Alathea's life as a teenager growing up during WW2 is fascinating， the way her friendships evolved during wartime， how her life changed and her difficult relationship with her mother （who is critical and undermining） alongside her younger sister and importantly the King， Queen and young princesses is absorbing and interesting。Alathea's affection for Elizabeth and Margaret， and their parents is warm and genuine， and her heartfelt pa A beautiful diary read， I really felt part of what was going on。 Alathea's life as a teenager growing up during WW2 is fascinating， the way her friendships evolved during wartime， how her life changed and her difficult relationship with her mother （who is critical and undermining） alongside her younger sister and importantly the King， Queen and young princesses is absorbing and interesting。Alathea's affection for Elizabeth and Margaret， and their parents is warm and genuine， and her heartfelt pain over her dream of becoming a lady in waiting is heartwrenching， as is her unrequited love for Hugh。I really enjoyed this book， and learned a lot about how it felt to live during that time， even though she lived in privilege， the only small issue I had with ecopy was having to lose my place whilst searching the appendix at the end for Information on names， initials etc， but this would not be any issue for a paper copy。Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the advance copy， I thoroughly enjoyed it。 。。。more
Ro
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Absolutely fascinating。For anyone who is a fan of The Crown this provides some insight into Royal life and the sense of duty that the Queen knew was her fate from such a young age。I’d be very interested to read some more of Alathea’s diaries as she seemed so very unhappy at times and I’d love for her to have her happy ending。 The times she lived in are fascinating to me and there must be a whole raft of stories just waiting to be told。
Debra Pawlak
，
I received an advance reading copy of this book directly from the publisher as well as NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 As a teenager， Alathea Fitzalan kept a detailed diary。 She was sent to live with her grandfather， Lord Fitzalan， and aunt at Cumberland Lodge located in Windsor Park during World War II。 Alathea's father visited on weekends and her mother was more absent than present。 When she did make an appearance， it was usually to criticize her sensitive daughter。 This left a lone I received an advance reading copy of this book directly from the publisher as well as NetGalley。com in return for a fair review。 As a teenager， Alathea Fitzalan kept a detailed diary。 She was sent to live with her grandfather， Lord Fitzalan， and aunt at Cumberland Lodge located in Windsor Park during World War II。 Alathea's father visited on weekends and her mother was more absent than present。 When she did make an appearance， it was usually to criticize her sensitive daughter。 This left a lonely teenager craving affection。 She found that love and sense of belonging in a most unusual place--Windsor Castle， which was just a bike ride away。 Alathea befriended the two young princesses， Elizabeth and Margaret。 She adored the Queen who was always kind to her and who became a mother figure to her。 She detailed the lives of the three girls who were teenagers isolated by war。 Alathea writes about bombing raids and hiding in the basement。 She also writes about shortages and worries that life will never get back to normal。 She even noted the untimely death of her favorite actor， Leslie Howard， but she also talks about her friendship with Elizabeth and Margaret。 For most of us， it's hard to imagine the Queen as a youngster， but the giggles and secrets the girls shared are refreshing。 I especially liked the story where the three of them walked to a bridge and leaned over the side to see if they could spit on some leaves that were floating below。 Elizabeth even confided that she had a crush on a certain handsome prince from Greece。 While some of Alathea's observations are childish， we have to remember that she was a child living in extraordinary circumstances。 This is a great book for anyone interested in the Royal Family or a fan of The Crown。 Alathea's diary entries are filled with interesting anecdotes and fascinating people who crossed her path。 It's a great glimpse into history from the viewpoint of a young woman who wanted nothing more than to be a part of a family--royal or otherwise。 Nicely done。 。。。more
Jessica
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Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。The Windsor Diaries was exactly what I was expecting， and it was fascinating。 Alathea Fitzalan Howard was a good friend of the princesses during the war years， but didn't spend all of her time with them- I feel like I learned a quite a bit about both the royals' lives during the war， but also life in general。 I was also a little shocked （but shouldn't have been） at how many people who would go on to play crucial roles Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。The Windsor Diaries was exactly what I was expecting， and it was fascinating。 Alathea Fitzalan Howard was a good friend of the princesses during the war years， but didn't spend all of her time with them- I feel like I learned a quite a bit about both the royals' lives during the war， but also life in general。 I was also a little shocked （but shouldn't have been） at how many people who would go on to play crucial roles in the government or society were casually mentioned。 The Windsor Diaries is a good reminder of just how connected the aristocracy and upper classes were （and still are） in Britain。 Because it is a transcribed diary， it can be choppy reading but I had expected that。 It may not be the smoothest reading experience， but it does give you a much better idea of how Alathea was feeling when writing。 She was rather blunt when writing， which can be a bit funny- if she didn't like what the princesses were wearing， she did not hide it in her diary haha。 I found it touching just how important the princesses and their life events were to her。 Even if there was nothing else in the diary entry， she noted their birthday。 It was heartbreaking to see how badly she wanted to be a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth， and although her diary entries are brief， it was still difficult to read。 All in all， fascinating and a perfect read for royal history buffs！ 。。。more
Liz Jackson
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Interesting for the history。
V。E。 Lynne
，
Alathea Fitzalan-Howard， daughter of Viscount Fitzalan and Joyce Langdale， spent the war years at Cumberland Lodge， Windsor， where she formed a close friendship with the two young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret。 Alathea was an unhappy young girl， a girl who was supposed to be a boy， and she was caught in the middle of her estranged parents cold war。 To deal with her unhappiness， she kept a diary， in whose pages she confided her hopes and dreams plus all the details of her friendship with the Alathea Fitzalan-Howard， daughter of Viscount Fitzalan and Joyce Langdale， spent the war years at Cumberland Lodge， Windsor， where she formed a close friendship with the two young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret。 Alathea was an unhappy young girl， a girl who was supposed to be a boy， and she was caught in the middle of her estranged parents cold war。 To deal with her unhappiness， she kept a diary， in whose pages she confided her hopes and dreams plus all the details of her friendship with the princesses。 The diary therefore provides an insider's viewpoint on the domestic life of the royal family and what a happy， and very self-contained， unit they were。 Alathea both loved and idolised Lilibet （the nickname of Princess Elizabeth） and longed for them to be closer。 The diary sets out what an essentially decent and dutiful person the princess was， and remains as queen， but also highlights what a self-reliant and emotionally aloof person she also was。 Happy in her own company， and with her close family and pets， the princess didn't really need other people and Alathea， slowly and sadly， comes to terms with this reality through the medium of her diary。'The Windsor Diaries' is a fascinating record of a specific time period， 1940-45， and will be of great interest to all royal fans。 The princesses play a big part in the diary but so does Alathea's family and， of course， the young woman herself whom the reader comes to know very well。 Alathea desperately wanted to fall in love with a handsome man and to serve Princess Elizabeth as a lady in waiting。 Those were her twin dreams and a good portion of the diary is taken up with them。 I won't spoil the outcome by saying any more。 Four stars。 。。。more
Olivia MacDonell
，
I know this was Alathea’s personal diary and that it happened in a time so removed from our own but it was not worth reading。 The whole things screams of vanity publishing。 Yes she was close to the princesses but many women were and this really gave us no new insight into the royal family。 I also thought she was very immature for her age （granted it was years ago an in a millennial raised in very different circumstances） which infuriated and frustrated me in turns。I would not read again or recom I know this was Alathea’s personal diary and that it happened in a time so removed from our own but it was not worth reading。 The whole things screams of vanity publishing。 Yes she was close to the princesses but many women were and this really gave us no new insight into the royal family。 I also thought she was very immature for her age （granted it was years ago an in a millennial raised in very different circumstances） which infuriated and frustrated me in turns。I would not read again or recommend it。 。。。more
Bailey Darwin
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I found it quite interesting reading Alathea's point of view but found it hard to get into。 Overall good read though and would definitely recommend if you are interested in royalty。 I found it quite interesting reading Alathea's point of view but found it hard to get into。 Overall good read though and would definitely recommend if you are interested in royalty。 。。。more
Brooklyn Tayla
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RTC。 Thank you Hachette Australia for my copy 📚
Gareth Russell
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Perfect for fans of 'The Crown，’ this is the kind of book you want to curl up with next to a roaring fire or on your next vacation。 A fascinating， eyewitness account of the British Royal Family’s private life against the backdrop of the Second World War， ’The Windsor Diaries’ shows the King， the Queen， and the two princesses through the eyes of a girl who was invited into their home during Britain’s darkest hour。 I could not put it down。 Perfect for fans of 'The Crown，’ this is the kind of book you want to curl up with next to a roaring fire or on your next vacation。 A fascinating， eyewitness account of the British Royal Family’s private life against the backdrop of the Second World War， ’The Windsor Diaries’ shows the King， the Queen， and the two princesses through the eyes of a girl who was invited into their home during Britain’s darkest hour。 I could not put it down。 。。。more
Piper Winchester
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Nice look at the princesses from a different angle plus Alathea is lovely and full of love for the family
Susan Bray DeLong
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If reading a Royalty struck teenage girl’s diaries from age 16 to 22 is your cup of tea then perhaps you will take pleasure in reading these snippets into the often unhappy and bone crushingly boring life of the aristocratic Alathea Fitzalan Howard。 She was wretchedly unhappy in that her parents were estranged from one another。 While her bitchy mother constantly criticized her and swanned around having fun during the war years with her much younger daughter in tow， Alathea was sent to live in gl If reading a Royalty struck teenage girl’s diaries from age 16 to 22 is your cup of tea then perhaps you will take pleasure in reading these snippets into the often unhappy and bone crushingly boring life of the aristocratic Alathea Fitzalan Howard。 She was wretchedly unhappy in that her parents were estranged from one another。 While her bitchy mother constantly criticized her and swanned around having fun during the war years with her much younger daughter in tow， Alathea was sent to live in gloomy splendor with her grandfather， Fitzalan of Derwent， at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park。Just a couple of castles away lived the Royal Family。 King George and his Queen with their two princesses， Elizabeth the elder and Margaret the feisty younger one。 No doubt the Queen felt sorry for this poor Catholic girl who had only her elderly aunt and grandfather as company。 So she encouraged her two daughters’ friendship with Alathea， who joined them for art classes， picnics， dances， movie nights， balls and pantomimes， all designed to keep up the girls’ spirits during the bleak years of World War 11。 Alathea was brutally honest in her comments on her disapproval of the dowdy clothes the princesses wore and even their hair styles。 The queen dressed them alike which Alathea regarded as a terrible thing to do to the older by four years， Elizabeth。 No doubt the Royals were trying to set a good example by not permitting the princesses to wear new frocks very often as wartime restrictions made clothing difficult to buy。 Alathea was fortunate in that her nanny， Ming Ming， made her lovely dresses and she didn’t care what people thought as long as she had nice clothes to wear。In typical teenage fashion her diary entries veered drastically from the high notes when she was invited into the inner circle of the Royal Family to dejection when Princess Elizabeth didn’t seem to need her as a close friend to confide in because she was perfectly happy and content to spend time with her own small family。 Alathea adored the queen who went out of her way to be kind to the lonely girl and when she danced with the King or sat next to him at table she was thrilled at the honor bestowed on her。As Alathea entered her older teen years she took up volunteering at a nursing facility。 Her duties were primarily cleaning and as she had servants to provide these services at home， she disliked it intensely and was often criticized by the nursing staff for her inattention to duty。 Getting enough to eat seemed a highlight of her outings with the princesses and their nanny， Crawfie， who was a big hit as she was regarded as fun and not strict。 The mentions of the deaths of soldiers whom she had met at dances didn’t seem to cause her too much sadness as this was war and that sort of thing happened。Alathea was supposed to marry a well to do member of the old Catholic aristocracy， but the young men who were presented to her didn’t cause her any heart flutters and the job she most longed for， to be chosen as a lady in waiting to Princess Elizabeth never happened。 Perhaps her Catholic faith was a deterrent of perhaps the queen thought a married woman would be more suitable。There are countless mentions of how much the young Elizabeth or Lilibet as she was called by her family， doted on the very handsome Prince Phillip of Greece and how she kept a picture of Phillip by her bed。 Unfortunately love and marriage came late to Alathea who married a second son in a registry office and there were no children from this union。 So many of Alathea’s teenage dreams came to naught。Had Alathea been born a boy， she would eventually have become the Duke of Norfolk， the head of England’s leading Catholic aristocratic family and Earl Marshal and inherited Arundel Castle。 But two daughters determined an end to those ambitions and an end to the marriage of her parents who were forever disappointed in their female offspring。 。。。more
Craig / Phil
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