Queen Elizabeth II; The Queen Mother (Two volumes)

Two volumes.  (1) Queen Elizabeth: Reprint. 96pp, with colour plate frontispiece and numerous black and white illustrations in text.  Blue cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering front and spine.  4to.  Cloth a little rubbed and rounded on corners and spine ends.  Gift inscription on front free endpaper, dated 1952, else internally neat, clean, bright and tight. In its original dust wrapper, rubbed at edges, scuffed on corners and spine ends with tiny tears, shelf worn.  (2) The Queen Mother: first edition, first impression.  144pp, colour plate frontispiece and further colour and black and white illustrations interleafed and in text.  Blue cloth-covered boards, gilt-stamped lettering on the spine.  4to.  Cloth gently rounded at spine ends.  Internally neat, clean, bright and tight.  In its original dust wrapper, rubbed at edges with minor loss on upper corners and spine head, shelf worn and slightly marked.

Marion Crawford (1909-1988), known as Crawfie to the then Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, was a Scottish educator and governess to the princesses, working with the Royal Family for seventeen years.  She was ostracised by the Royal Family after publishing The Little Princesses under her own name – among other shockingly intimate revelations, the volume contained revelations regarding the King’s moods and the Queen’s chilly relationship with Wallis Simpson and the Royal Family felt their confidence had been betrayed.