Murder Most Royal

Her father had had to buy it from his brother when he became king, because as private property it was naturally inherited by the older son, and David – or Edward VIII as he briefly titled himself – had insisted on being paid for it, even though he loathed the place as much as his younger brother loved it. Without the abdication, what would have become of it, and her?

She had so very nearly lived a very different life. One’s destiny hinged on such small accidents of fate: a meeting with a glamorous American divorcée, in this case. A man who gave up his throne for her. A brother who reluctantly took his place. A little girl – herself – who would have been very happy living out of the spotlight. Instead, what a whirlwind it had been. And it had lasted for nearly a century.

She marvelled briefly on how hard humans tried to shape the future, herself included, and how much it was really in the lap of the gods. But she wasn’t excessively given to introspection: that way, madness lay. She allowed Philip to pour her a glass of whisky and determined to enjoy these last few hours quietly, before she headed back to the city, and her other life.

I owe eternal thanks, once again, to Queen Elizabeth II. I’m so glad she got to see the crowds that massed in front of Buckingham Palace for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations while I was finishing this book.

The news of her death came the day I handed in the proofs, so I’m rewriting this page in a state of shock, despite knowing full well this day must come. Much of what I want to say about her character, her role in our lives and her impact on our world is here in these stories. I intend to write more of them as there is still so much of her life to explore. Readers will know how fond of the Queen I am. She was human and humble, but also undeniably great. We know her dedication to her life of public service, so I hope her real Christmas holidays were more restful than I made this one.

A huge thank you to all my editors, translators and marketing teams in the UK and around the world. Your support for this series is fabulous and I’m so grateful for everything you do. Particular thanks go to Ben Willis and his team at Zaffre, and David Highfill and Julia Elliott at William Morrow for your infinite patience with me this time. We got there in the end.

Thanks to the team at Sandringham House who made researching this book a real pleasure, and to the rewilders and conservationists at Knepp and Holkham, whose work I was privileged to experience. To the people of North Norfolk, who made me feel so welcome. I’m so glad to have discovered this special spot. I will be back.

Thank you to all my readers, and especially those of you who have contacted me via my newsletter and shared some of your own stories and gardening tips with me. Please keep them coming!

Thanks to the girls who keep me going with your friendship and inspiration: the Place, the Sisterhood, the Masterminds, and the Book Club, and especially to Caroline Lawrence and Sarah Wooley for the walks.

To Emily, Sophie, Freddie and Tom, who put up with me not always being around when my head is in a book. (Thank goodness you can cook.) And to Alex. On this book in particular, you held me up. Thank goodness for you.

SJ Bennett was born in Yorkshire and travelled the world as an army child. She had a varied career including lobbyist and strategy consultant, before her first novel was published when she was 42. Since then her books have won the RNA Romance Novel of the Year, been optioned for TV, and have been translated into over 20 languages.

She was once asked to interview for the role of Assistant Private Secretary to the Queen and still considers it the job that got away. A curious royal watcher for many years, she lives in London where she can often be found haunting its palaces, museums, galleries and libraries.

Having set the first book at Windsor Castle, and then one at Buckingham Palace, I decided to travel to Sandringham this time, for a traditional royal family Christmas. To start with, I knew that Sandringham was a big house in East Anglia where the royal family liked to go shooting, but that was about it. I hadn’t realised it was near the sea, or that there was a wildlife sanctuary on its borders, or that its estate contains several farms, where the Queen and Prince Philip enjoyed experimenting with sustainable farming methods and which Prince Charles is now turning organic as fast as he can. I didn’t know this was where Prince Philip intended to retire, or why he would want to spend the last years of his life in North Norfolk. Now I know all those things, and having spent some very, very enjoyable weeks there doing my research, I quite understand the royal couple’s love of the place. The area is in fact sprinkled with celebrities who are quietly living their best life.

North Norfolk is rural, traditional and coastal.