The Princess of the Chalet School by E.M. Brent-Dyer was first published in 1927 and it’s the third book in the Chalet School series which I’ve started to revisit since reading some of them as a youngster. I can’t really say it’s a trip down memory lane as I don’t remember too much about them, or maybe I just read the later books.
Princess Elisaveta has never been to school before, having been educated by governesses. She doesn’t know it but the heir to the throne in her country would like to get his hands on her to try to force the king to abdicate in his favour.
Meanwhile. Miss Bettany has employed a new matron without interviewing her, and it isn’t long before she realises that that was a big mistake. The matron is a ghastly woman with a shrieking voice and she thinks the worst of everyone, but particularly dislikes Jo as she’s the headmistress’s sister, she even dislikes the baby of the school, The Robin! In no time flat the matron’s behaviour has upset the whole school.
A lack of communication leads to danger for Elisaveta and Jo. Miss Bettany is busy with her wedding preparations as well as the running of the school. but all is well – of course.
Nowadays we might think how unlikely it would be that a princess would be at the Chalet School but you don’t have to suspend disbelief too much as there were lots of what we would call minor royal European families around even in the 1920s. Such fun!
I first encountered the Chalet School while visiting Bermuda with my family. It was November so mostly too cold to swim so we wound up at wonderful bookstore and I remember my mother bought me The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart which she had read & Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper, which was quite new. Then there were dozens of Chalet School books! Of course, I should have bought the first three but instead I got book 1, Jo of the Chalet School, and Princess at the Chalet School. While I never became a fanatic – probably because it was 30 years before I got any more – I did enjoy those three.
Constance,
I managed to buy quite a lot of Chalet School paperbacks when we were in Buxton (Derbyshire) recently, there’s a good seconhand bookshop there, I think they’re abridged but not too much. They just take you into another time and place, but I wouldn’t become a fanatic as some do. I enjoyed The Moonspinners but I think my favourite is Nine Coaches Waiting, full of suspense.