Stephen wrote to Elizabeth, Duchess of York, asking if she would like to look at the renovations at Eltham Palace and she wrote back to accept his invitation. Ginie was nervous, for she had a feeling that Elizabeth would look with less forgiving eyes than David and Wallis. There had recently been a correspondence in The Times about the suitability of juxtaposing old and new buildings and the restoration of Eltham Palace was discussed in it. Some called it a marvellous example of a rarely-used form of architecture, ‘A shrine to the Art Deco style.’ But Sir Herbert Baker listed examples of architects who had, in his view, shown exemplary taste in adding to old buildings, implying that this had not been the case at Eltham. G.M. Young even went so far as to call the modern extension ‘An admirably designed but unfortunately sited cigarette factory.’ John Seeley and Paul Paget felt compelled to challenge these remarks and a heated debate ensued. Elizabeth would almost certainly have seen the letters and it made Ginie all the more anxious about her arrival.

On the day, the royal car arrived at precisely four o’clock and Elizabeth stepped out, plump and pretty in a floral dress – the antithesis of Wallis. She had an attendant with her, a young girl with pale skin and straw-coloured hair, who hardly said a word.

The Courtaulds were on the drive to welcome them. They began a tour of the great hall almost immediately, Elizabeth revealing her considerable knowledge of history. There was not a carving, not a painting or ornament that she failed to notice. She knew that Geoffrey Chaucer was Clerk of the King’s works at Eltham and could quote Shakespeare’s lines from the opening of Henry VI which mentioned the palace:

The king from Eltham I intend to steal,

And sit at chiefest stern of public weal.

Ginie let Stephen do most of the talking. He walked ahead with Elizabeth, while she followed with the attendant. She noted with amusement that Elizabeth was mildly flirtatious – a hand on Stephen’s arm, her head tilted to one side as if to say, I find you fascinating.

Afterwards, they had tea in the dining room, which had black, Belgian marble-edged floors and a silver ceiling with concealed lighting. The chairs were pink leather and there were silver animals etched onto the black doors, copies of Narini’s drawings of the creatures in London Zoo. Elizabeth accepted a shot of brandy in her tea, assenting that it was much more agreeable than milk.

‘Perhaps I should introduce it to Buckingham Palace,’ she chuckled. She was so jovial and pleasant that conversation was flowing and Ginie was able to relax. After tea, they showed her the modern part of the house.

‘It’s not really like an English home,’ she remarked. ‘It’s much more comfortable.’