The Windsor Diaries: 1940 – 1945

Alathea Fitzalan Howard had an unhappy homelife, despite coming from a titled and privileged background. During the war after her parents had separated, she was sent to stay with her grandfather Viscount Fitzalan of Derwent, who lived at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park. It was there that Alathea found the affection and harmony she craved through her close friendship with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, the young daughters of King George V1 and his wife Elizabeth. Alathea regularly visited Windsor Castle and often attended parties, cinema evenings, picnics and celebrations with the Royal Family and other members of the court. During that time she kept a diary in which she recorded every intimate detail of her life with the princesses – who were often accompanied by their governess Crawfie – and with the King and Queen. Written from the age  of sixteen to twenty-two, Alethea’s diary paints a vivid picture of the close knit bonds between the Royal Family, the burgeoning relationship between Princess Elizabeth and Philip – her future husband – and the aspirations and anxieties that Alathea herself often experienced as a teenager.

Format: Kindle Edition, Hardcover & Paperback

Paperback: 368 Pages

Language: English