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.

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.

The Royal Nanny gives a new peak into the royal household of Queen Elizabeth's II father and grandparents. A historical fiction that kept me going to google to find more information about the characters and the nanny herself. A little slow at times but overall a good quick read.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I always love a character that you can relate with to help you immerse yourself in the book.

Good historical fiction tale! Based on a true story, this book touched my heart immensely. I loved reading about Lala and the future kings, and will definitely read more by this author. 4 stars!

Thank you to Net Galley and HarperCollins Publishers for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
I loved this book! This is the story of Charlotte Bill, who becomes the nanny for the children of the Duke and Duchess of York. The history is fascinating to me, and I confess I went on Google and did more research after I read this book. I wanted to learn more about these Royals as well as Charlotte Bill. Her love for these children, especially John, was so heartbreaking. I highly recommend this book! I want to read more by this author. I hope she continues to read historical fiction!

This is the story of a Charlotte a young woman who goes to work for the royal family and devotes her life to taking care of them, especially the youngest one.. Although the story, characters, and historical references to the Windsor family were interesting this book was difficult to stick with and finish. if you feel things can always get worse, and will get worse this book will satisfy you. The author tries to portray Charlotte as loyal and noble, but she comes across as determined to sarifice her life and happiness to people who ultimately do not really appreciate her. This Reader felt like giving her a good shaking.

As one might get from the title, this is a story of the royal family in the early 1900s from the point of view of their nanny. It was a well written and seemingly well researched book. At the end it definitely made me google to get a better idea of the characters and how accurately they were portrayed in the book.
I enjoyed spending the day living in this world.

Thank you to Book Club Girls andNet Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Enjoyable story of Charlotte Bill, better known as Mrs. LaLa, who was Royal nanny to the family that would produce two future kings; King Edward VIII, and King George IV. Mrs. LaLa devoted her live to the children, and raised the youngest son Johnny (who was an epileptic), as her own. Her devotion is beautifully captured, and I enjoyed a look inside the inner workings of the royal family.

I really enjoyed "The Royal Nanny" by Karen Harper. I loved the story, the history, descriptions of the clothes and the royal parties. Most of all, I enjoyed learning about the royal family and especially, Lala. It was a great book that I would recommend.

What an enjoyable read! It begins with the arrival of a young to-be assistant nursemaid into the British Royal family and gives the readers a glimpse of daily happenings of the young Royals.. Charlotte Bill "Lala" is a caring, loving, and very protective character of her charges and is definitely a heroine in this historical fiction tale. The young Royals are blessed that they had Lala in their "court". This is a book that is unquestionably worth a read!!!

This was an older read. I received the electronic copy through Book Club Girls Free Friday program.

I was fascinated by the relationships in the book, except the romantic one. I felt it was unnecessary.

When I started reading this book, I had high hopes that it would be an interesting read. It covered all my favorite subjects: historical fiction centered on British Royalty. Unfortunately, this book disappointed on all levels.

The focus of the novel is the nanny that took care of the future King George V’s children from 1897 to 1919. The story is a tedious look into the daily life of the nursery at Sandringham, with a peripheral romance thrown in for good measure. A tedious story can be salvaged with decent prose, but this too was lacking. Instead, the wording was stilted and convoluted with awkward dialog used in place of narrative to describe events. Reading this book was sheer torture. I forced myself to read 60%, and then skimmed the rest.

In sum, this book had neither a good story, nor well-written prose to recommend it.

Lovely read, especially for fans of "Downtown Abbey" or "The Crown". We meet the royal nanny, who does her best to raise the royal children, particularly David, Bertie, and Johnny, the youngest child who is mentally and physically disabled. The story stutters a bit at the beginning, since the heroine turns down a marriage proposal and regrets it bitterly. Eventually, the she is given a second chance at love and while not disclosing the outcome, she seems more at peace with the ups and downs of her life as time goes on. It is a unique perspective on an unusual role and the book is written with style and grace.

Based on the story of actual nanny to royal children, (the future abdicating King Edward and his 5 siblings), The Royal Nanny hooked me from the first page. Aside from being a well-told story, with family drama and a little romance, there is also an interesting glimpse into the royal household. I was surprised to learn some little known facts and a royal family secret. A must-read for anyone with a "royal obsession".