Fern Britton anchored her own ITV1 Saturday night series, That's What I Call Television in 2007. In December 2007, she went on a secret trip to Basra to broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the troops. She appeared as a guest presenter for the show, Have I Got News for You on 27 April 2007 and again on 17 October 2008. On 12 January 2008, she was the winner in the first episode of Thank God You're Here, a television comedy series hosted by Paul Merton. In April 2008, Fern Britton together with her colleague, Phillip Schofield was the presenter of the revived 'all star' version of the super hit ITV show, Mr and Mrs. The show was broadcast on Saturday nights as a six-part series.

Fern Britton has chosen to portray a sympathetic view of Crawfie, a young woman who instead of studying to be a child psychologist, left her home in Dumfermline to raise the two princesses. We will never know the true nature of the relationships between servants and monarchy, nor what was said and what each individual was motivated by, so I have chosen to side with Fern, opting for the version that this very loyal and extremely naive young lady truly loved her Royal charges. I have also chosen to believe that she gave up much of her own life to serve this family and only fell dramatically out of favour because she let others less scrupulous than her, namely the scoundrel (and eventual husband) George Buthlay, lead her to make a huge mistake. Initially released through HarperCollins once again, this was published in 2021 on the 29th of April to a great deal of acclaim. Providing another stand-alone romance, it’s similar to Fern Britton’s other books, but it also has some twists and turns of its own. Taking place in Cornwall in England, it’s a story with a lot to offer, and is a must for both fans of the author and the genre as a whole. As dramatic events sweep through the country and change all their lives in an extraordinary way, Marion loyally devotes herself to the family. But when love enters her life, she is faced with an unthinkable choice… I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and HarperCollins UK. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Good Servant is in fact Marion Crawford, the governess to the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret in the 1930s onwards. Names familiar to us a Princess Elizabeth is now the longest serving monarch in British History having just celebrated her platinum jubilee.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

A family saga beginning at the end of the first and continuing through second world war, as it begins in 1918 with Clara Bolitho fighting for her family. Later in 1947 Hannah, Clara’s daughter, is falling in love for her very first time, but with the wake of World War Two underway, she must now protect her baby Caroline. Moving ahead to 2020, Caroline is living quietly on the Cornish coastline, but there’s devastating family secret that threatens to rear its head. Will she be able to get past it, can they all overcome this hurdle, and what will become of the daughters of Cornwall?

She seemed so happy in some aspects of her life but had to give up many dreams of her own, to continue to serve the Royal family. This included her hopes to work with young Scottish children and a lengthy engagement to the man she loved, even though he is depicted as a rather underhand character. (FYI, I really didn't like George and wish she had seen through his awfulness, and heeded the warnings she had been given...) Windsor Castle. At first this ordinary woman is in a new world, working as governess to two young princesses Elizabeth & Margaret, in a household she calls home but where everyone is at a distance. As the course of history changes, she finds herself companion to the future Queen, and indispensable to the crown. And slowly their needs become her needs. Their lives become hers. It’s then she meets George, and falls in love for the first time. Now Marion faces an impossible choice: her sense of duty or the love of her life. Please make sure you read the afterwords though as ferns notes on writing the book and the questions she raises to the reader add a whole new dimension to this wonderfully constructed book. I just cannot process how beautifully this story was told, I must confess I didn’t go into this read expecting much as I hadn’t heard anything of this book and only knew of the author from tv presenting but I will certainly be reading more from her. Her writing flows so easily and it was such an enjoyable read.Some years ago, I read a fabulous book ‘That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor’. I will definitely read it again soon. Yes, I know it isn't 100% accurate, but I was hooked from the beginning and I read the whole book in pretty much a day! Loved it! Marion “Crawfie” Crawford, a governess to the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, for the most part sacrifices her own happiness, nuptials and education, to become a dedicated and loyal servant to the monarchy. This story has its host of characters, including Crawfie’s husband who is a drunkard and liar, the other Royals, staff and other characters. Ma non si parla di due giovani ragazze che vede crescere e educare, ma una di loro è persino la futura Regina d'Inghilterra. This was an easy, if far from scintillating read. If the definition of a good servant is loyal, hardworking, trustworthy and discreet then Marion Crawford for the majority of her career fulfilled the brief, only to fall at the last hurdle. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not it was her dogged pursuit of her own happy ever after that hastened her demise but I know which side of the fence I’m sitting on!