This aside, this is an enjoyable novel that will appeal to those, like me, who can’t get enough about the Windsors.
The queen’s actions relating to her secrets are so unlike the character Harper has developed, creating situations where the queen has to lie repeatedly and comes off as bordering on conniving. Less successful are the queen’s alleged secrets that are so sensational they seem unrealistic. She is warmly portrayed, and the tender scenes between her and her family are a pleasure to read. It is refreshing to see her in a new light, as a younger, strong-willed partner to the king. Most readers will remember the Queen Mother with a sweet smile, waving to a crowd, looking like a beloved grandmother. Also hanging over the queen are a number of personal secrets she has managed to hide from the world, including her beloved husband, but which threaten to be exposed. The former king, Edward VIII, and his wife are finding their life out of the spotlight less than desirable and are making demands.
All of the king and queen’s focus should be on stopping the Nazis, but another threat looms. Hitler calls her “the most dangerous woman in Europe” for her threatening level of popularity, and she earns the respect of Winston Churchill, who she and the king meet with for private weekly war meetings. Harper’s enchanting latest (after American Duchess) explores the private life of Queen Elizabeth, formerly Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. Wanting to stay and do her part for the war effort, she refuses to leave London, even during the Blitz. He is about to be tested like no king before ever has fortunately, he has a steely ally to stand beside him, his wife, Elizabeth. King George VI has only been on the throne for two years when war breaks out in Europe. The Queen’s Secret: A Novel of England’s World War II Queen
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