Reviewed by Wendy Lipke
Lexi Villiers was enjoying her medical residency in Hobart and hanging out with close friends when she was whisked away by private helicopter and flown back to England. Lexi was Princess Alexandrina, the spare to the British throne. She was filled with dread as, even as she “flew closer to London, advancing further up the line of succession”, she “was still the pariah in the House of Villiers” (16).
A terrible skiing accident had taken the life of her father and her twin brother. She was now the heir apparent with the only other family member still living being her grandmother.
In this historical fiction novel, Rebecca Armitage has taken information about a real person, a royal mistress, back in 1660, and created a more modern tale which at times appears to mirror certain information, personalities and situations that have been reported about the current royal family.
The story is told in the first person, Lexi’s thoughts, as she copes with her present situation and thinks back on actions and their reasons about events that had impacted her family and led to her moving to the other side of the world to live her own life. Growing up she had watched her family spiral into blood feuds over nonsensical, medieval traditions many times (57).
This story gives insights into a role built on tradition and the isolation individuals can feel when surrounded by others. Key people in her family reminded her of sharks swimming into a school of fish. Many moved back and averted their eyes while other lower ranked individuals, the socially ambitious, swam alongside like suckerfish. Is this the life she wanted for herself into the future? Or was this an opportunity for Lexi to try to modernise the establishment? Would she be allowed to make an impact considering her behaviour so far?
Her rebellion has not made her many friends in the past. She yearns for the freedom she enjoyed which Tasmania gave her. For her this was a magical island where everything glowed from the mushrooms, algae on the sea edges to the sky. But she also feels a duty to family and knows that the privileges she receives entail responsibility.
While reading my way through this family’s dysfunctional dynamic I was impressed with some of the beautiful language which produced such vivid images in my brain like –The answers surfaced like bubbles from the bottom of a dark lake (76); the row of men waiting rippled like a black tide as they descended into deep bows (19); gates yawned open then swallowed us whole with a metallic gulp (28).
Little girls dream of one day becoming princesses, yet the reality is not like it is described in children’s books. This story reveals the jealousies, one-up-manship, and leaking to the press fact or fiction which they think will damage others and enhance their own situation. These people must feel like goldfish in a bowl, always on display, hounded by journalists and photographers, and spoken about however the speaker thinks will generate the most traction.
Not everyone has the personality, stamina, and interests in tradition to fit this life. Is it a role for Princess Alexandrina or would she prefer to work in a hospital on the other side of the world further from the spotlight as Lexi Villiers?
This is an interesting story with an insight into life from inside the firm.
Rebecca Armitage is an Australian journalist based in Tasmania who likes to write about royalty, power, fame and the media, so it is no doubt fitting that her book, The Heir Apparent, should be chosen as the December book of the month for Reese Witherspoon’s long-running book club.
The Heir Apparent
(2025)
by Rebecca Armitage
Harper Collins
ISBN:978-1-4607-6790-0
$34.99; 416pp