I enjoyed The Royal Nanny. Looking into how children of Royals were raised in the 1890’s through WWI  is so interesting. The children, David and Bertie, both to become future Kings of England were really raised by a nanny. “Lala” Charlotte Bill was hired as an under nurse maid. She discovered and reported that David was being abused by the head nanny. Who was fired. Lala devotes her life to them and their two younger siblings especially Johnny who had many problems. Not an easy life for her and also for the children who do not have a normal parent-child relationship. I appreciate the research that the author did to write this book. I do think the book might have been better without the love interest. I have found myself thinking about this book after I finished. Thank you Harper Collins , The Book Club Girls, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It is a novel, but I was very interested in the truth behind the story and was happy to see that it is very close to the actual story of the nanny and her royal charges.  It was a story of devotion and love and helped me finally straighten out all the royal relatives.

The story of a royal nanny for the duke and duchess of York.  Charlotte Bill becomes the nanny of David (Prince Edward), Bertie ( King George V), Mary, two others, and John. Charlotte stays with John until his death at thirteen. John is also known as the Lost Prince.

The writing is crisp and based on facts. It gives a glimpse into life at Sandringham, Tsarist Russia, and Queen Victoria’s offspring. Charlotte holds the children’s affection, but is a substitute for the royal parents. She shows her loyalty and unconditional affection to her charges.

A must read for lovers of British royalty and history

The Royal Nanny immediately drew me in. With the initial conflict with the Head Nanny and strength of the main character, I knew that it would be an interesting read. My heart broke for the main character several times throughout the book, but none more so than at the ending. I am still mourning the ending, I really wish it were different.

The book is a fictionalized story about the nanny to the British royal family of King George V and Queen Mary, Charlotte Bill, nicknamed "LaLa". I found the historical aspects of the book fascinating & in most cases based on actual facts,  also covering connections with King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria,  and Tzar Nicholas & Alexandria and their children before their assassination. The account of the childhood of the future King Edward VIII and King George VI left one pondering their later life decisions and obstacles. 
The second half of the book was more interesting than the first as it revolved around LaLa's relationship to the youngest child, Prince John, who suffered from epilepsy and other developmental issues. John died in his teens and the story line as to the individual members of the Royal family's interactions with him and their ways of coping with his disabilities was quite riveting. The part of the book that did not impress me was LaLa's love interest in a groundskeeper on the estate, Chad. This relationship was not based on actual facts and did not really ring true. One minute they took walks together, with an occasional kiss & the next he was proposing in a very unappealing, demanding way. When she turned him down due to her obligation to the Royal children, he promptly married someone else. He still kept turning up and pursuing her even though he was married, which did not speak well to his character, but the story still romanticized the affections between him & LaLa. Later in the book, their relationship seemed more realistic, when Chad was free to pursue her, but I felt that this detracted from the main story.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but would have liked to focus more on Charlotte's life with the Royals, without a fictional love interest.

I enjoyed this book although there were a few things that were off for me, mainly how the main character gave up her whole life outside of work and how the love interest was very flat until he just blew up one day.

The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper was one of those historical fiction books I really love - the richly developed and written story of a real historical person which is both engaging and deeply grounded in historical fact. The storyline revolves around Charlotte "Lala" Bill, a woman who served as nanny for the British Royal family from 1897 until 1919 and was instrumental in the raising of the six children of King George V (1865-1936) and Queen consort Mary (1867-1953), including future kings, Edward VIII (1894-1972) and George VI, (1895-1952)  as well as Princess Royal Mary (1897-1965), Prince Henry (1900-1974), Prince George (1902-1942) and Prince John (1905-1919). To put that in context, the book covers the current Queen's father (George VI aka Bertie), her grandparents (George VI and Mary) and her great grandparents (George VII and Alexandra).

Let me stop here with a quick disclaimer:  I am most definitely NOT an anglophile - other than a college course in English history about 40 years ago, everything I know about the royal family comes from either The Crown, The King's Speech or People Magazine. Yeah, I'm one of those people, so keeping track of the characters was something of a challenge - especially since they nearly all changed names as they made their ascent toward the throne. I admit to keeping a post-it note with names nearby during this read. So, I have no authority when it comes to deciding whether or not the intimate details and conversations contained in this book are historically accurate. If you're a huge fan of the Royal Family, you're enjoyment of this book might be completely different.

The Royal Nanny is written in the first person voice of Mrs. Lala, and is, in many ways, a love story between this wonderfully caring nanny and her charges, especially Prince John. And it is a really sweet love story, at that. The author does a terrific job of bringing the reader into the narrator's head space and heart, and both showing and telling the foundations and boundaries of love built between the main character and the many other people brought into the storyline. The writing is authentic, the dialog is believable, and the voice is consistent with a character who develops and grows throughout the course of the book. Charlotte is neither Mrs. Piggle-Wiggles nor Nanny McPhee, but a whole person I quickly came to cheer for an empathize with and admire.

The larger cast of characters consists mainly of actual members of the Royal Family, and they, too, are presented as fully-developed and flawed people. We don't get deeply into their personal struggles - this book really isn't about them individually - but the author does a good job of creating a context into which the main character can tell her story. I think that's especially well done in the character of Prince John, who is a presented as both an epileptic -which is historical fact - and a child with mental and emotional developmental delays and challenges - which is, apparently, harder to confirm through official documents. But again, the story is about Lala and her overarching relationship with the family, and although John is a large part of that relationship, it is not the whole.

I really enjoyed this book, I liked how the author stayed true to the characters and the time, but also imagined how things might have been personally for a nanny to the Royal Family in a very different historical time than we live in today. The Royal Nanny didn't attempt to sling any mud at the family, or tease out private skeletons - there was no agenda - just a well-written, perfectly-paced and thoughtful story of a woman who chose to spend her life serving others, and the impact that service had on her and the people she served.

This review was based on an advance copy read.

Loved getting a glimpse into the royal family. Lala is a kindhearted nurse (nanny) that help raise the royal children in the late 1800s-to WWI. Excellent character development. You get a sense of what each little royal was like and could place yourself in their house. Only draw back was it was slow going at times.

I enjoy reading about the inner workings & relationships within royal families as well as some who have a position as a nanny. This book provided both, mixing a slight bit  of imagination & reality. As a young girl, Charlotte Bill, arrived to nanny the young royals. Little did she know how much she would impact history by her loving care & upbringing. If you like an insider's look of royal goings-on & a story of a loving nanny & her relinquishing her life for others you will love this hard to put down read. Download from NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the Book Club Girls for the chance to review this book. I'd give this book 3.5 stars.  It's a historical fiction story of Charlotte "Lala" Bill, the royal nanny at the turn of the last century.  

Stars:  This was a quick read for me, and the storyline kept me engaged.  I wasn't familiar with the history and childhood of David and Bertie and their siblings. Definitely a good escape from reality.

Wishes:  I wish Harper's writing was a little simplistic.  She repeats themes by telling, not showing.

As a young nanny, Charlotte Bill royally embraces her job.. Sandringham, the ancestral estate of the Duke and Duchess of York sets the scene for newly crowned Mrs. Lala to become the head nanny for the heirs to the throne. 

While she governs the children with a firm yet loving hand, Lala's charges become her surrogate children. Charlotte struggles with a foreboding feeling that the children ache for their parents' affection. 

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review Karen Harper's novel. Harper brilliantly weaves fact with fiction and utilizes Lala as an insider's perspective into the royal family. Historical fiction fans will enjoy traveling along with the family and crying with them during joys and sorrows. 

Rating 3.5 rounded up as a 4 starred review

What a great peek into royal life as told through the eyes of Charlotte Bill, otherwise known as LaLa.  What a wonderful royal nanny she was to the children especially to Johnnie who was neglected in many ways by his parents who saw him as a blemish upon the family.  Charlotte made sacrifices especially in the area of settling down with her own love in order to be there for these children who she knew needed her.  I loved seeing royalty from this point of view.

Although I don’t usually enjoy historical fiction, I actually enjoyed reading this book. Obviously based on the British Royal family and the roles of the nannies that bring up the royal children. Children are to be seen and not heard. Of  course there is some romance between two of the leading characters and the story revolves around their roles as nanny and game keeper on the large estate.

An older read (2016) that I missed the first time around and was so happy to have found on Netgalley.

The Royal Nanny is a historical fiction-esque telling of Charlotte Bill's story.  Lala, as the children call her arrives at the Duke and Duchess of York's home during the reign of Queen Victoria, to help care for the two young princes, David and Bertie.  After issues with the head nanny that Lala brings to light, she is appointed the head nanny in charge of the two boys and their subsequent siblings.  When the youngest, Prince John, arrives, his special needs lead to a close relationship with Lala and she cares for him until his death from epilepsy.  The historical transition follows the Yorks as they become the Prince and Princess of Wales, then King and Queen of England, from the perspective of their main childcare provider.

I love historical fiction, and anything relating to the Royal family, so the Royal Nanny was truly a delight to find.  Even better, it departs from the current popular time period for novels (WW2) with a look at something all together different.

I enjoyed learning more about these famous people. It brings to life that life is not always easier because you are rich and famous. Family disfunction exists in all levels of society and in royalty as in other super wealthy families, the children get much more love and attention from the “help” than from their parents. I felt more like an observer peeking in than a participant in events. That was my only complaint about the author’s style.

Great research makes this fictional account of the nanny of the British royal children from 1897 to 1919 very enjoyable.  It is a well written account of what life was like for both the royals and the nanny who served them.
If you are a fan of Victoria or The Crown you will love it.

Made me feel like an insider to the inner  workings of the British Royal Family.  I enjoyed thoroughly enjoyed this boom and would seek to read another from this author.

I honestly stepped out of my comfort zone in wanting to read this book, and I'm honestly glad I did. Its well written, and while it's mostly based on fact, I loved reading and the royal family through the eyes of the nanny. Interest in the royal family in the US is nothing like it is "across the pond",  and being this rather in depth look was exciting for me. I loved reading about The Royal Nanny, add now I find myself intrigued to read more to discover about such an interesting time period.

Please note that I did receive an ARC of this book, and the opinions expressed in this review are

The Royal Nanny does a great job of telling history relatively accurately while still creating a fictionalized account. For that aspect I give it high marks. But I still felt kind of meh about it. It covers a pretty large time period, and as such, the story really seems to drag at times. There are probably parts Harper could have left out to improve the pacing of the story. I also confess to not being overly enthusiastic about the love story she created for Charlotte with Chad Reaver. It felt like it was in the book because there was some sort of obligation to have a love story, not because it really needed to be there - or because there'd been strong evidence of the real Charlotte Bill having a romance with another staff member. I also struggled to some degree with Charlotte's care of Johnnie. I can certainly understand him needing more attention than other children that are fully functioning, but it still feels like she clearly loves him more than the others, and three of the other children were born and raised in her care. I'm glad this was historical fiction not related to World War II, but I just didn't love it and struggled at times to even like it overly much.

This was such a lovely and interesting read. I enjoyed learning about Lala who was the nanny for David, Bertie, et al, the children of King George and Queen Mary. Seeing the change and growth of the family through three different monarchs was so intriguing. Very enjoyable and highly recommend.