IN a quite remarkable turn of events, a book by a Malvern author first published more than 30 years ago is currently among the hottest sellers in America.

From Cottage to Palace by Margaret Bramford, which tells of her aunt Florence Bramford’s life working for the British Royal Family, is up there with Prince Harry’s SPARE in the Amazon ranking of Best Seller’s in Biographies of Royalty.

It was initially released as a paperback in the UK in 1991 and sold in local bookshops as part of the Worcestershire and Malvern History Series.

Now its 2022 success is due to Margaret’s nephew Richard Lyntton, who vowed that one day his aunt’s historical gem would go worldwide.

He said: “I made a promise to my aunt to publish her books for a wider audience and now we have three versions available on Amazon in all formats, including audible. There is a whole generation in Worcestershire which has not read the series and I found the books quite fascinating to narrate.”

As well as From Cottage to Palace, the other two books in the series are This was Our Malvern and Upton-upon-Severn Recollections.

Richard, a former British Army officer who now lives in Philadelphia, added: “Aunt Margaret was born in Overbury and grew up in Pershore. She was a French and Spanish teacher for most of her life before becoming a writer of ten book on local history and a guest speaker. She lived in Malvern for more than 30 years before her death just before Christmas in 2018.”

Florence Bramford, the star of From Cottage to Palace, was quite a woman.

Born in 1891 in a little cottage next to the Drum and Monkey pub on the Ham Court estate near Upton upon Severn, she had a Victorian childhood and an Edwardian adolescence and went on to become a Ladies’ Maid to the Ladies in Waiting of two Queen Elizabeths from 1939 to 1974.

Never marrying, she resided in many royal residences with her Ladies in Waiting and frequently served on royal tours all over the world.

“Her efficiency, enthusiasm and good humour were much appreciated by all who knew her,” said Richard.

The book is based on jotting’s Florence made and conversations between her and Margaret.

It reveals a world of stately homes, ceremonial and long sea journeys.

On royal tours she went four times to East Africa, three times to West Africa, twice to Canada and three times to Australia and New Zealand, as well as State Visits to several European countries.

She was there when 120 elephants turned up to see Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip fly off from Khatmandu airport, when the Royal couple enjoyed a magnificent feast with Queen Salote in Tonga and she remembered not to curtsey to Queen Juliana in Holland, “because they don’t do that there”.

Florence recalled: “I just gave Queen Juliana a little bow instead.”

At the age of 78, she was involved in an Italian State visit to the UK and a sumptuous banquet at Windsor Castle. “I saw the table for the State Banquet,” she wrote.

“It was out of this world. All the gold plate and glass and china and the flowers. It was simply beautiful.

“We were full to the brim. The Italians brought quite a lot of people with them. As well as my own Lady to look after, I had the Countess of Euston for two nights and Lady Abergavenny for one night.”

Following that event she left with the Countess of Euston for the Prince of Wales Investiture at Caernarvon travelling on the Royal Train. Not bad for someone pushing 80.

Florence Bramford died in 1985 at the age of 94 when complications set in after she broke her hip slipping in her garden in Malvern.

Even as she sat in hospital she regaled visitors with tales of travelling on the Blue Train down to the French Riviera with Lady Agnes Peel, the amazing white cockatoos of Australia and life at Buckingham Palace.

Six Ladies in Waiting sent flowers to her memorial service in St James church, West Malvern and there were telegrams of condolence from the Queen and Princess Margaret, who had known Florence since they were children in wartime. No wonder the Americans are lapping up her story.