There is little point in regret. God had another path for me and what a path it is.

In February I received a telephone call from the Queen in London. ‘Crawfie, I think you should bring the girls at once to Royal Lodge.’ She and the King were clearly missing them.

It took a lot of packing up, but a few days later we were back in Windsor.

The Queen looked radiant when we all arrived. She never made a show of any of her concerns and in that way it kept up the spirits of those around her. After a couple of days of reacquainting themselves with their long lost toys, books and of course the dogs and horses, the girls settled down happily.

One evening after they had gone to bed, the Queen called me in to the sitting room.

‘Crawfie,’ she began, ‘do you think me selfish in bringing our daughters back to Windsor, rather than keeping them safe in Scotland?’

I didn’t know how to answer this question. It was not for me to decide, so I asked her, ‘What is your heart telling you?’

She cast her eyes down and thought for a moment. Then she said, ‘Some government ministers wish me to send them away, and I have noticed some of the newspapers have been asking the same thing. Of course they don’t know where the Princesses have been these last months and they never will know. But I am sure that here in Windsor they shall be safe.’

‘At Royal Lodge?’ I asked.

‘Windsor Castle,’ she replied. ‘It’s a fortress that has survived almost a thousand years. I don’t think even Mr Hitler could knock it down.’ She smiled at me. ‘And anyway, the children would not go anywhere without me, and I cannot possibly leave the King, and the King will never leave.’

‘And what is selfish about that?’ I concluded.

We stayed at Royal Lodge until just a few days ago, when we moved into Windsor Castle, and I fear we may be here for some time. London has been deemed too dangerous for the girls, but Balmoral too far away. The King and Queen want to be with their daughters, but they cannot be too far from the capital. So here we are.

Alah believes we will all be back in Buckingham Palace soon, and has brought only a few clothes for herself and the Princesses. I packed everything. I feel that we may be here for a long time.

This ancient castle is not a home. There are few comforts here, and all the treasures, pictures, furniture and chandeliers have had to be taken down. At night I can hear air raid wardens and others flitting about, their shoes ringing on the stone floors of the passageways.

My bedroom and sitting room are in the Victoria Tower, and I have to climb a stone circular staircase to reach it. My bathroom is up in the roof – chilly, and a terrific target for the German bombers.