The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper
Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Royal Family
Read: 25th April 2021
Published: 18th May 2020
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
If you love Jennifer Robson or The Crown you will love New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper’s novel about Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
1939. As the wife of the King George VI and the mother of the future queen, Elizabeth—“the queen mother”—shows a warm, smiling face to the world. But it’s no surprise that Hitler himself calls her the “Most Dangerous Woman in Europe.” For behind that soft voice and kindly demeanor is a will of steel.
Two years earlier, George was thrust onto the throne when his brother Edward abdicated, determined to marry his divorced, American mistress Mrs. Simpson. Vowing to do whatever it takes to make her husband’s reign a success, Elizabeth endears herself to the British people, and prevents the former king and his brazen bride from ever again setting foot in Buckingham Palace.
Elizabeth holds many powerful cards, she’s also hiding damaging secrets about her past and her provenance that could prove to be her undoing.
In this riveting novel of royal secrets and intrigue, Karen Harper lifts the veil on one of the world’s most fascinating families, and how its “secret weapon” of a matriarch maneuvered her way through one of the most dangerous chapters of the century.
MY REVIEW:
Every family has secrets...even the royals.
As an unashamed Anglophile and royalist, I was immediately drawn to this book. Having read the author's previous historical fictionalised tale "The Royal Nanny" about the nanny to David and Bertie (later the abdicated King Edward VIII and King George VI) and thoroughly loving it, I was excited to discover she had yet another tale to tell of the same line, this time about Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who we all know as the Queen Mother, during WW2 and her constant love and support of the King throughout that time. Although the royals are constantly in the news these days, not so much is known about the Queen Mother since there was no such thing as social media in those days...nor paparazzi.
But behind that smile we came to know so well there were secrets she kept hidden.
In 1923, after three proposals, Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon married the Albert Fredrick Arthur George, the Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. David, Prince of Wales was the eldest son of the then King and Queen and next in line to the throne and upon ascending to the position, he then became King Edward VIII. But, as history recounts well, he met and fell in love with twice-divorced Wallis Simpson. So in marrying her he abdicated, thrusting his shier and self-conscious brother Bertie, the then Duke of York, onto the throne to become King George VI. In 1926, future Queen Elizabeth, known as Lilibet, was born followed by her more gregarious younger sister Margaret, known as Margot to the family, in 1930.
THE QUEEN'S SECRET is an interesting historical fictionalised tale examining various rumours and theories about the private life of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen consort to King George VI. Beginning in the summer of 1939, we follow the King and Queen on their tour of America and Canada, the declaration of war, the fall of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and the incoming Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The story takes place throughout the duration of the war and gives a rare insight into life as a royal, a Queen no less, during such a terrifying and trying time. The sight looking out of the window of Buckingham Palace down the Mall to see a Messerschmidt flying straight towards the palace would have been a terrifying sight to see. And the palace did not escape the Blitz or the bombing of London, though nowhere near as pummeled as the East End and the docks, it was targeted and it was damaged...as was Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the House of Commons which apparently had been reduced to rubble.
It is no secret that the Queen was a great support to King George VI throughout his reign, particularly during the war. Even Churchill valued her input as she was involved in the weekly meetings between the King and the Prime Minister, as well as other government officials. When the King was unavailable, Elizabeth too his place at briefings. She never shied away from the responsibilities of the position they held as King and Queen, and insisted on visiting the East End to survey the damage inflicted during the Blitz. Her own maid (I can't remember in what capacity now), Bessie, was from West Ham in the East End where her family still lived and Elizabeth took a personal interest in them while despite her own fears, she visited troops, hospitals and factories as well as being a loving mother to Lilibet and Margot.
Throughout the war, the royal family shared the same hardships and restrictions as the common people - rationing and water restrictions with the 5 inch limit in bathtubs. But what endeared the King and Queen to the people most was that they refused to escape London while it was being pummeled by the Luftwaffe. The King was adamant about remaining in London with the people and Elizabeth was always by his side as his staunchest supporter, although they had the girls stay at Windsor for much of the time. Elizabeth missed her daughters when she was away from them and most nights the King and Queen would travel the 40 miles to Windsor to enjoy some family time while returning to the capital during the day.
Despite her position as Queen, Elizabeth faced much of the same heartaches as any other. The loss of her beloved mother just before the war was one of her greatest as she was extremely close to her. And although she was one of ten children, it was her younger brother David to whom she was closest and when war broke out she feared for his safety. The King seconded him to America to act as liaison between the president and the United Kingdom. She had also lost one of her brothers in the Great War and an older sister to dihptheria. But her greatest heartaches were the ones she held close in secret. And as the Queen Mother is no longer with us to confirm or deny them, they can only remain speculation. But if they turned out to be true...
The details of the Queen Mother's birthplace is rather vague. Some state she was born in London, others in the family country estate in Waldenbury, Hertfordshire. Were her family keeping her birthplace secret? And if so, why? Or was it just a registration error?
And then there was the past inferred story of David long before he became King and abdicated. It was no secret that David was a selfish, self-centred, arrogant man who thought of no one but himself. But was he capable of something so dishonourable? Even Winston Churchill who at one stage was an avid supporter of King Edward VIII (David) later perished the thought of him leading the nation through a war. Given his ties with Germany at the time, there was much doubt as to whether David could have successfully won the war for Britain and her people, but rather paved the way for Hitler himself to invade the nation.
Despite being thrust into a position that was never meant to be his, King George VI (Bertie) made the best of it and fought for the people to free the nation from attack and lead them to victory. He did that with devotion and support of his Queen and that of his prime minister Churchill. Something they believed David could never have done. And yet, despite everything, David continued to plead the case of his and Wallis' return to England...but Elizabeth would have none of it. She hated Wallis with such a vengeance she referred to her only as "that woman" and her feelings for David were much the same. She feared that should he return to England, he would only try to make demands on Bertie and take over as if he were still King, and Bertie who loved his brother dearly would not stand up to him. Churchill felt much the same...but how to put it to Bertie to keep David and that woman in permanent exile?
We also caught a glimpse of the 13 year old Lilibet meeting the dashing young 18 year old Royal Navy cadet Prince Philip of Greece and her ardent devotion to him from the start. The Queen Mother already had a list of eligible noblemen who would be a far better match for the future Queen of England than someone from Greece, no less. But Lilibet would not be swayed and her insertion of Philip at any given moment she could had the Queen Mother fretting as to where it would all lead.
THE QUEEN'S SECRET portrays Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in a human light rather than on the pedestal the royals are generally placed. We see her for the person that she is - wife, mother and Queen - who supported her husband through the nation's darkest days and beyond. Hitler himself had named her as "the most dangerous woman in Europe" a formidable woman with her strength of character and yet all we saw of her was the sweet elderly Queen Mum with a gentle smile.
Although fictionalised, THE QUEEN'S SECRET does raise some rather speculative rumours and theories which can neither be confirmed or denied since the Queen Mother passed nearly twenty years ago. But it does give one food for thought. The royals were not exempt from that which common folk find themselves entrenched in. They were just better at hiding it.
I thoroughly enjoyed THE QUEEN'S SECRET and the insight into one of the royal family's most beloved members...maybe not quite as much as "The Royal Nanny", which I really loved, though still a wonderful read. Speaking of which, I was also thrilled to see "Lala", Bertie's former nanny who lived in a grace and favour house on the Sandringham estate until her death, make an appearance.
Although THE QUEEN'S SECRET is set throughout the second world war, we are privy to the private moments of Elizabeth's past through flashbacks to the Great War, her marriage, her childhood, her parents and David's abdication. Read for yourself Elizabeth's secrets and discover the formidable woman behind the gentle smile.
Perfect for fans of the royal family and historical fiction.
I was saddened to learn that the author Karen Harper passed away 13th April 2020 before this book was published. Her royal historical fiction personalised those who we always admired from afar...or had just read about.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Karen was a former college English instructor (The Ohio State University) and high school literature and writing teacher. A lifelong Ohioan, Karen and her husband Don divide their time between the midwest and the southeast, both locations she has used in her books.
Besides her American settings, Karen loved the British Isles, where her Scottish and English roots run deep, and where she has set many of her historical Tudor-era mysteries and her historical novels about real and dynamic British women.
Karen's books have been published in many foreign languages and she won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for 2005. Karen has given numerous talks to readers and writers across the county. Her latest historical books were THE ROYAL NANNY and THE QUEEN'S SECRET.
Karen sadly passed away on 13th April 2020, a month before the publication of her last book THE QUEEN'S SECRET, after a battle with cancer.
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