New books reveal dramatic life of former royal maid

A former royal maid’s dramatic life has inspired two new novels by a local author.

Welsh miner’s daughter Rosa Edwards waited on King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. She travelled around the country to their residences, including their Norfolk estate, after answering an advert and becoming a maidservant at the age of 17 in 1944.

Some of her vivid memories are included in a new story in two volumes, written by East Anglian author Ellee Seymour.

Rosa Edwards soon after she became a maidservant for the royals (Image: Supplied)

In one notable incident, during an emergency drill involving Sandringham’s own fire service, believed to have taken place in the late 1940s, she even descended from a top-floor window via a rope.

“Rosa cut her arm during the fire drill,” said Ms Seymour, who is based in Ely. “The King showed concern and asked his equerry Capt Peter Townsend to drive Rosa to the doctor’s at Wood Farm for first aid.”

Rosa’s daughter Jan Snaith, now 64, said her late mother would often tell the story.

“She said she got talked into doing the fire drill and was so scared going down the rope,” she added.

“She cut her legs and arms badly on the ivy and the King was quite worried.”

Rosa was taken to see the doctor at Wood Farm at Wolferton (Image: Chris Bishop)

Wood Farm at Wolferton, more recently the home of disgraced ex-royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was lived in by the royal family’s physician James Ansell at the time.

On the journey across the Royal Estate, Mrs Snaith said her mother became “completely besotted” with Capt Townsend, who drove her to see the doctor covered in blood.

But the former RAF fighter ace had eyes instead for Princess Margaret. They would later become engaged before she was forced to break off their relationship in 1955 because he had twice been divorced and marriage would have meant renouncing her royal status.

Mrs Snaith said her mother started as a coffee maid before she began travelling from Buckingham Palace to other royal residences, including Sandringham.

US president Eisenhower with the Royal Family at Balmoral in 1946 (Image: Supplied)

“When she got up, the maid would make her bed, the cook would cook her breakfast and the chauffeur would take her to the station,” she said.

“The train would stop at Wolferton and she’d be the only one to get off, it would stop just for her.”

Mrs Snaith said her mother loved working for the royals, adding: “She said they were lovely, she said they all felt like they were part of the family.”

Sandringham was her “second favourite” place to stay with them after Balmoral.

Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth and King George VI at Sandringham in 1946 (Image: Archive)

“It was like a home, it was a lot less formal, they’d be on holiday,” she said. “They had balls, they’d play games, they’d go for picnics.”

Rosa also applied make up to the then Princess Elizabeth’s face before a wartime Christmas pantomime at Windsor Castle, and danced with the King and President Eisenhower at Balmoral.

“She danced with all kinds of people at these balls,” her daughter recalled. “She loved to dance.”

She also held King Charles III’s hand two days after he was born on November 18, 1948 at Buckingham palace.

Her life has inspired a story in two volumes of which the first, Secrets of the Royal Maid is set to be published by Penguin next week. Volume two, the Royal Maid Finds Love, is due out in October.

Ellie Seymour outside Buckingham Palace with her book, written under the pen name Annie Seymour (Image: Annie Seymour)

Ms Seymour said she was inspired by by the true story of Rosa, a poor coal miner’s daughter, who at the age of 17 spotted a notice in a shop window in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, advertising for maids to work a big house in London – which turned out to be Buckingham Palace.

While working at the palace, she was swept off her feet by a dashing Coldstream guard, Gerald Snaith.

Rosa pictured with husband Gerald Snaith on their wedding day (Image: Supplied)

Rosa and Gerald married in 1950 and she left the royal household and settled in High Wycombe, where Gerald’s family lived, and had their daughter, Jan, who later recounted many of her stories to Ms Seymour.

More than sixty years later, in 2016, Rosa returned to Buckingham Palace and joined Queen Elizabeth at her 90th birthday garden party that she celebrated with nonagenarians from around the country – only this time she was waited on as a guest, instead of serving them. Rosa died in 2019, aged 92.

The author, writing under the pen name of Annie Seymour, admits to using some “literary license” regarding events.

Mrs Snaith said “70pc” of the story remained true to her mother’s life.

Rosa at a garden party at Buckingham Palace with her daughter Jan (Image: Supplied)

“Mum’s early life was not easy, but she really found herself, and met the love of her life, my wonderful father, at Buckingham Palace,” she said.

“To read some of my mother’s life story in the book brought tears to my eyes, and my heart filled with pride.”