VE Day – 80th anniversary!

It’s a special day today – the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe. VE Day!

There were street parties and celebrations, and people danced in the fountains in Trafalgar Square! For many, the war still wasn’t over as loved ones were still fighting in Asia – but in Europe, Hitler and his regime had fallen and peace finally reigned.

Catherine (half of Ellie Curzon) has a whole day of tweets in store for you today, celebrating VE Day. Take a look!

And don’t forget – “The Lost Orphans”, the first book in our brand new series, “The Runaway Evacuees”, is out in July, and you can pre-order it now from Amazon!

The Lost Orphans – the first book in our brand new series, The Runaway Evacuees!

The first book in our brand new series, The Runaway Evacuees!

Out on 23 July 2025. Pre-order now from Amazon! Available in ebook, paperback, Kindle Unlimited. Audiobook to follow.

London, 1941. “Help me, Jack” is Elsie’s last thought as the building crashes down around her and everything goes dark. Will she ever see her big brother again?

The war has robbed eight-year-old orphan Elsie of everything except her older brother Jack. Evacuated together, hand in hand they escaped a cruel farming family only to find their home destroyed, their mother gone. Wide-eyed Elsie hasn’t spoken since, and every night she cries for her mother, and for their father, lost at war.

Wandering under the falling ash, their stomachs twist with hunger and Jack knows he cannot protect Elsie alone. But everything changes when they join a rag-tag band of orphans, runaway evacuees who’ve returned to the city just like them. With nothing left to lose, the children stay above ground as Nazi planes fly overhead, determined to help others. But as they risk their lives, who will protect them?

Then during a night of terrible bombing, the unimaginable happens. Elsie disappears. Their faces streaked with tears, Jack and his friends search through the flames and smoke, knowing she has no voice to respond to their cries. Will anyone find her before it’s too late? And will the lost orphans ever find a safe home?

Catherine and the Queen at Huddersfield Literature Festival!

The Royal Family vs ‘The Crown’

If you were one of many gripped by Netflix’s smash-hit factual drama The Crown, you probably wondered how true to life this Royal Family saga was. In this special Festival event in partnership with Merrie England, Huddersfield-based historian Catherine Curzon reveals the real stories behind the drama, based on research for her latest book The Royal Family vs ‘The Crown’. 

For six seasons, royal watchers across the globe have been hooked on The Crown. Over 60 episodes, multiple casts and headline-grabbing storylines, The Crown has promised to throw open the closed doors of Britain’s palaces to reveal the deepest secrets of the House of Windsor.  

Catherine Curzon’s new book The Royal Family vs ‘The Crown’ turns the spotlight on the glittering Netflix series and lays bare what is fact and what is very definitely fiction. Season by season, episode by episode, it tells the real stories behind the drama that has thrilled and scandalised audiences worldwide: from the abdication of a king to Princess Diana’s infamous Panorama interview, the marriage of Charles and Camilla and everything in between. 

Catherine Curzon is a historian of old Hollywood and even older royalty. She has appeared on Radio 4’s PM programme and Dan Snow’s Story of England, as well as radio stations across Europe and the UK. Her work has been featured online by BBC News, BBC History Extra and a range of newspapers and magazines. As one half of Ellie Curzon (with Helen Barrell), her World War Two sagas have achieved bestseller status in the UK and the US.

Calling all fans of “The Crown”! Catherine’s latest book is out now

Catherine’s latest book, The Royal Family vs “The Crown” is out now, in hardback and ebook. Buy direct from the publisher, or from Amazon.

For six seasons, royal watchers across the globe have been hooked on Netflix’s smash-hit factual drama, The Crown. Over sixty episodes, multiple casts and headline-grabbing storylines, The Crown has promised to throw open the closed doors of Britain’s palaces to reveal the deepest secrets of the House of Windsor. From the last days of George VI to the accession of Queen Elizabeth II and into the twenty-first century, it has told the story of the monarchy in an ever-changing and turbulent world.

The Royal Family vs ‘The Crown’ turns the spotlight on the glittering Netflix series and lays bare what’s fact and what is very definitely fiction. Season by season, episode by episode, The Royal Family vs ‘The Crown’ digs deep into history to examine the plots, the trivia and the characters who have stepped out of the throne room and into the living room, telling the real stories behind the drama that has thrilled and scandalised audiences worldwide. From the abdication of a king to Princess Diana’s infamous Panorama interview, the marriage of Charles and Camilla and everything in between, this is your indispensable guide to the true stories behind the streaming phenomenon.