The Palace Girls Secret written by Emma Royal and published by Random House/Penguin Books

The Palace Girls Secret is a story of life in Buckingham Palace and the staff within its walls set in 1952.

The story centres around the telephone exchange in the Royal Household and especially telephonist Helen Hill, but it also includes sub plots of her friends who work in different parts of the palace

On a daily basis, Helen hears many private conversations which must be kept confidential. When she meets Jake, a dashing journalist he wins her over with his charm and brings to her hectic life a sense of joy and freedom that she hasn’t had in years - but is he all he is cracked up to be?

This is a beautifully written and thoroughly researched novel that offers a fresh perspective on life behind the walls of Buckingham Palace. When I finished reading it, and googled Emma Royal, I discovered that there is a previous book called The Palace Girls which I’ve now bought to read as I loved the characters and want them to be part of my life for a little while longer!

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