December 2025

British royalty follows strict rules, so when you are the third heir to the throne, your life allows you a lot more latitude than those in line as one or two. Princess Alexandrina, also known as the third heir to the Queen of England, has taken up life in Australia, where she is just Lexi Villiers, who is studying medicine and living a very ordinary life. That is, until a helicopter lands on the farm where she lives. Her grandmother’s right-hand man rushes to share the devastating news that her father (the heir) has been killed in a skiing accident, and her brother (the spare) is clinging to life. She is whisked away by the chopper to a plane that will take her to England. There she is given a royal makeover so she looks regal as she touches down on British soil. By the time they land, her brother has died, and she is now the heir.

That is just the opener to THE HEIR APPARENT by Rebecca Armitage.

Lexi’s medical residency is put on hold, and she is swept up in a world where her every action is micro-managed and intensely viewed. (Who knew that the sun shining the right way into a car with darkened windows will allow people to see you?) She has a year to decide what she wants to do. During that time, she takes up royal duties and deals with dark memories, like the death of her mother, the rivalry between her uncle (who is in line to the throne behind her) and her own family, and a riff between her and her brother that was not mended. Guiding her is a young woman named Mary, who critiques the way she is viewed on social media with the same eye as she watches Lexi walk in sky-high Louboutin heels.

Oh, and back in Australia, there is a young vintner who Lexi was falling for and a gay roommate who made her laugh and smile. There is a moment when these worlds collide in Scotland at the Queen’s summer palace where an evening may include charades or a black-tie dinner. Missteps can happen at every turn.

The writing is brisk and sharp. Rebecca has covered the royal family as a journalist, so she has the customs down pat. But what makes the book special is her plotting. I agree with our reviewer who said that if you read too quickly, which you will be apt to do, you may miss some details that will matter later. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut; it feels like writing from a novelist who has been around for a while. I was reading during the run up to the holidays when there is a lot to do, but I found myself tucking away to enjoy it with no qualms about whatever was put aside. I am looking forward to what Rebecca writes next.