The House of Windsor is the gift that keeps on giving. Every year historians, novelists, royal reporters, and journalists revisit the 1936 Abdication of King Edward VIII and the ripple effect caused by that seismic event. Has much changed since then? Look at the tagline of Betraying the Crown: “Intrigue and scandal threaten to rock the monarchy in wartime Britain.” Substitute present-day for wartime—some might see modern-day similarities.

Betraying the Crown is the third Guy Harford mystery. Guy is a multi-faceted fellow—an “artist, palace courtier, reluctant spy.” Although he has a storied pedigree, he views himself as an artist and resident of Tangiers. The palace uses Guy’s artistic career as a point of entry, a foot in the door, when it’s desirable to interview an elusive, uber-wealthy aristocrat. Women are flattered when a popular artist evinces an interest in painting them.

Guy and his burglar girlfriend Rodie are larking about one day at Windsor Great Park, seeing where the day takes them.

The Austin trundled up the hill and turned a corner to be confronted by an odd-looking castellated building, its tall tower pinkly blushing in the late afternoon sunlight. But though chirpy in appearance, Fort Belvedere seemed deflated in spirit as they approached.



‘Nobody about,’ said Rodie, looking round. ‘Quiet as the grave.’



‘That’s because it’s out of bounds. We’re not supposed to be up here.’



‘Oh good,’ she said, brightening. ‘I never do what I’m told!’

When Guy points out that the front door is locked, it’s tantamount to waving a red flag at a bull. Rodie won’t balk at a locked door, particularly since she’s now working for a secretive government department. Think of her as a government-sanctioned investigator/burglar. Like Guy, she works for his Majesty’s government, just a different branch. Even though Rodie is working on the respectable side of the street, some of Guy’s more snooty friends consider his relationship with Rodie rather infra dig. Fort Belvedere is not entirely deserted—the pair discover a dead man, no ordinary corpse. How did “controversial former courtier Lord Blackwater” die? Was it an unnatural death? Unsurprisingly, the men in grey suits would rather his death be described as natural, perhaps a heart attack? Lord Blackwater is a fictional figure but he accurately represents the men and women who were close to King Edward VIII (later the Duke of Windsor). After the Abdication, those courtiers were frozen out, both by King George VI and the Duke of Windsor.

If a former member of the Duke’s court is dead, could there be a connection to the Duke himself? Guy is tasked with uncovering what David (his family nickname) has been up to. Likely nothing good. Traitor King by Andrew Lownie touches on many alarming historical details. After his exile, the Duke of Windsor wrote a biography that was critical of his family. The Duke flirted—more than flirted really—with Nazism. The Duke was bitter about how his duchess was treated, bemoaning the fact that she wasn’t granted the honorific Her Royal Highness.

It doesn’t require the aloof but intensely loyal senior courtier Tommy Lascelles (who we met in The Crown) to tell Guy that the last thing anyone needs, as war rages, is a royal scandal. Are the folks maligning the Governor General of the Bahamas fair-minded or do they have an axe of their own to grind? Joe, an eccentric and wealthy woman living on an island near the Bahamas, says not only is the Duke laundering money, but he’s also rumored to be interested in becoming an American citizen. Guy thanks her for her help but he presses her hard on the accuracy of her information.

‘Listen, old chum,’ she said, ‘I’m half-English and half-American so I can see things from both sides—how wonderful your royal family is, and how outdated it all seems. Perhaps that’s part of its charm. So I want the royals to succeed, but I look down on royals who aren’t up to scratch. Windsor is one of those and anything I can do to help, I will.’



‘Then help me find out to what extent he truly is a traitor,’ said Guy sharply, ‘wittingly or unwittingly.’

Like Guy, author Fielden is balanced in his description of the Windsor’s sojourn in the Bahamas. Readers benefit from his intensive research: he uncovers stories that have been kept under wraps for decades.

Why is it up to Guy to “catch the killer and save the monarchy from crisis in wartime?” He’s an artist, not a courtier, or is that a fig leaf? In his own way, Guy’s as loyal to the royals as his masters at Buckingham Palace.

Let me leave you with a delightful amuse-bouche. Meet Ronald Morgan, a retired valet with infallible sources of information and a nose for champagne. Ronald lives at St. James’s, near Buckingham Palace, in a grace and favor “palazzo,” rather grand in Guy’s estimation.

‘Hello, Mr Morgan,’ said Guy, shielding his irritation. ‘His Majesty asked me to bring you this.’



‘Let me see.’



Guy handed him the bottle of Pol Roger ’32, peeling back the linen napkin which had kept it cool on its short journey from Buckingham Palace.



‘I’m more used to getting the ’27,’ grumbled the old man. ‘His Majesty knows I hate young wine.’

Guy is unhappy to be pressed into service listening to the reminiscences of a haughty retired servant but noblesse oblige, until the old man, who asks to be called Ronnie, veers into well-informed gossip. When Guy says he’s “seeing rather a lot of Osbert Lothian,” the floodgates open.

‘Man’s an idiot,’ wheezed Ronnie. ‘I remember him back in the old king’s day, used to walk about with a poker up his arse and a stink under his nose.’



Oh, thought Guy – I think I’m going to like you. ‘Top-up?’



‘Go on then.’

And just like that, “they drank and smiled, having quickly discovered each other’s wavelength.” When dealing with royals, whether it be writing about them or working for them, a keen memory and a sense of the unspoken pecking order are invaluable assets. Assets that Guy taps when he needs to separate fact from fiction and reality from rumor, as his investigation into the Duke of Windsor unfolds.

N.B. TP Fielden is the pseudonym of “acclaimed royal biographer and commentator,” Christopher Wilson, a longtime royal journalist and someone who knows where the royal bodies stories are buried.

It starts with the death of Lord Blackwater. The discovery of his body leads courtier Guy Harford on a quest to save the monarchy from further embarrassment as they still recover from the king’s abdication. Blackwater was a supporter of the Duke of Windsor and helped arrange his marriage to Wallis Simpson. He kept a detailed diary, which is now missing. Rosie Carr was a burglar who now works with MI6. She is also living with Guy, which often presents a problem. While Guy is secretive with regards to his work at Buckingham Palace, Rodie is also unable to share the details of her assignments with Guy. They are both looking into Blackwater’s death, but Rodie’s path leads to the Vic-Wells Ballet and a connection to a spy ring. Working undercover with the group, one of the dancers is murdered and Rosie is in danger of being discovered.

While Guy works for Buck House, his first love is painting. He has already had an exhibition of his work and is becoming a well-known artist. His greatest hope is that the war will end and he can return to a life of painting at his home in Tangier with Rosie. He is a problem solver and is acquainted with a number of peers. Rosie is plain spoken and a skilled burglar. She had even broken into the palace at one time. They are an oddly matched couple, but work well together. Their lives are complicated by a persistent reporter and Rodie’s boss, who is one of Guy’s friends.

T.P. Fielden’s Betraying the Crown provides an interesting look at life behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace. It was initially confusing as a number of characters are quickly introduced. Once you become familiar with the characters and their roles, it becomes a delightful mystery. This is the third book in the Guy Harford Mysteries and it will leave you looking forward to Guy and Rodie’s return. I would like to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing this book for my review.

An entertaining read that combines a mystery with political maneuvering by members of the Royal Family and others in WWII Britain. There's a large cast of characters, some real, some imagined, and I suspect those who know the Royal Family better than I will find either fault or amusement with some of them. That said, Fielden, an expert on the Family, offers some insight into how things worked. Guy Harford has an unenviable job but he's lucky to have Rodie as a love interest, even though their separate investigations might be (at least on the surface) a bit at cross purposes. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I'd mot read the earlier books but this made a fine standalone.

In the midst of WWII in England, Guy Harford, artist, is now working as a Palace Courtier and Rodie Carr, one time burglar, now a government civil servant, find the body of the Earl of Blackwater in the now closed Fort Belvedere, the former home of the Duke of Windsor. From this point on, the Palace, MI6 and a journalist all want to either hush up the murder or expose it. It is now up to Guy to navigate the thorny path: find out who killed the Earl and also find out why a courtesan is keeping company with the ousted king of Albania. In the meantime Rodie is tasked to snoop around a ballet troupe that travels about the country with refugee artists who might be part of a spy network.
An intricate and thrilling story with the Palace working to keep the monarchy from scandal, MI6 spying on all to keep the country safe and neither group telling the other what they are doing.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-galley of "Betraying the Crown".

"Betraying the Crown" by TP Fielden was a thrilling, adventurous and mysterious novel that I throughly enjoyed all the way. I found the characters to be fascinating and colourful, while also enjoying the plot overall. Fielden is great at weaving a compelling mystery whilst also including fascinating nods to history. I love reading about the royals, so it was awesome to be able to gain further insight into their scandalous lives.

I wish I had known this was part of a series, as I would have picked up the first couple of books before reading this one, but I don't mind so much as I've now been introduced to the world of Guy Harford mysteries.

I highly recommend this book!

Guy Harford is a Royal Confidant during WWII and is called in to solve the murder of a controversial former courtier involved in the abdication. Who is responsible and does it involve the Nazis? And what is the King's brother up to now that he and "that woman" have been exiled to the Caribbean?

TP Fielden does such a good job making his characters interesting - they are not perfect nor are they all good or all bad, they are somewhere in the middle. I enjoy that Guy isn't held up as perfect courtier, he has flaws and is just doing his best in situations that sometimes don't have an upside. All of the plots are just real enough we can actually imagine it happening just this way but the Palace keeping it under wraps.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #BetrayingtheCrown and I look forward to Guy and Rodie's next adventure!

Intrigue and scandal threaten to rock the monarchy in wartime Britain… Well crafted characters, an underlying sense of menace and an immersive narrative combine for a suspenseful, one sit read.

Interesting characters and good story that ended with me wanting to know more about the characters. I liked the descriptions of the places and characters. I enjoyed the plot largely. I liked the language and tone used because it made the book seem if it was written in the 1940s.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of Betraying the Crown, the third novel to feature palace courtier Guy Harford, set in 1943.

When Lord Archy Blackwater is found dead, possibly murdered, in Fort Belvedere, the former home of former King Edward VIII alarm bells ring, because he was a close associate of Edward prior to his abdication. Guy is is asked to investigate discreetly and enlists the help of his girlfriend, former burglar turned civil servant, Rodie.

I enjoyed Betraying the Crown, which is an interesting read on the period, although it is more interested political manoeuvring than crime investigation. The fact that the former king wanted to take American citizenship would have been a tremendous PR blow to the monarchy, especially in wartime, so it’s time for dirty tricks and these people fight seriously dirty. I wonder if current events made the author think of this true life event?

With Guy involved in this firefighting effort, the murder investigation is left to Rodie in her role as a “civil servant” at the “Post Office”. She and her boss find a link to a ballet company where she goes undercover. I was disappointed that this plot is secondary to royal politics as she is the stand out character in the novels. She’s bold, smart and working class in a very upper middle class at a minimum environment and steals the show.

The novel has its moments of humour, not least in its depictions of the upper classes and the farce surrounding the former king and his intentions. It’s so petty in many ways that it’s comical. What’s even more dismaying is that it’s rooted in fact.

Betraying the Crown is a good read that I can recommend.

TP Fielden is the name used by Author, Broadcaster and Journalist Chris Wilson for both his Miss Dimont and Guy Harford series,and Betraying the Crown is the 3rd in the latter.

The story begins in 1943 with the discovery of the body of Lord Blackwater,former close member of Edward the Eighth's circle before his abdication and since ostracised by the Windsors and their own clique. Harford is called in to investigate. Harford's job is not made easier by the efforts of girlfriend Rodie Carr and mysterious "Post Office employee" Rupert Hardacre who appear to be investigating the same thing but with a different agenda. With loyalties unsure . the search leads to strange goings on in the Royal Ballet and as if Harford doesn't enough on his plate he's also sent to the Bahamas to discover the intentions of the disgruntled former King who's actions threaten to destabilise wartime Britain.

This is a very enjoyable series and with the author being a noted expert on the Royal Family it's not only based around true events but there's plenty of gossip and surprising facts to be gleaned from the tale.

It's pretty much essential to have read the previous 2 books in this series to get full enjoyment out of this one, not least to understand the relationships of the main characters. It's an undemanding and enjoyable read whether you're a fan of the Royals or not.

Once again I have come across a new to me series by accidentally jumping in part way through. Now I have to go back and find books 1 and 2. It will not be a hardship as I really enjoyed this one.

Betraying the Crown is set in London in 1943 and it opens with a list of characters. This is essential reading because there are lots of them and many of them have a couple of names and a title to be identified by. The main character is Palace courtier Guy Hartford, who is fully aware that one's standing with the Royals is only as good as today's success. It is very easy to fall out of favour.

There is a murder, a lot of spying by different parties, huge amounts of palace gossip, and some delightful historical facts. I was most impressed with the description of the flight from England to Nassau by seaplane. It was apparently luxurious but must have been pretty scary in the middle of a war. There were many facts too about the Royal Ballet with names dropped such as Margot Fonteyn.

It was all very interesting and I will certainly be continuing with the series.

Betraying the Crown is the third novel in the Guy Harford mystery series. It follows Guy Harford and his girlfriend Rodie as they each work in their respective positions within the bureaucracy surrounding the royal family during wartime England during World War II.

The book starts off with Guy and Rodie finding a body in a place where they aren't supposed to be and takes off from there. It paints an interesting picture of how I personally imagine the inner workings of the royal family to work.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. At times I found it a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters, but as the book went on, I found my groove and developed a familiarity that helped with that. I liked how it all came together in the end and the ending sets itself up well for another book in this series.