https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/queen-suffered-ocd-child-said-22609459?utm_source=mirror_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Royalnews5&utm_campaign=royals_newsletter&ccid=2369561The Queen 'suffered from OCD as a child and said being neat made her feel safe'
A new book by author Wendy Holden claims the future monarch used to arrange her pencils perfectly straight - and she did the same thing with dinner plates
By Dave Burke
09:57, 1 SEP 2020 Updated10:13, 1 SEP 2020
The Queen suffered from crippling OCD as a child, a new book claims. The future monarch told a teacher that arranging her pencils perfectly straight made her feel "safe". Marion Crawford, who was governess to the Queen and Princess Margaret for 17 years, said she did the same thing with her lunch plates. In new book The Governess, author Wendy Holden claims that Ms Crawford believed this was a sign of a obsessive disorder. She wrote: “Marion, whose training encompassed child psychology, now realised she was looking at obsessive compulsion. This cosseted, regularised environment was the very last place she had expected to find it."
The books says Ms Crawford asked the young princess why she arranged her pencils in such a neat manner. “The princess looked up, staring at her with candid blue eyes," the book says.
"‘Because it makes me feel safe.’ ‘Safe?’ echoed Marion. ‘Safe from what?’”
Unfortunately the Queen's mother walked in before she could answer. The Queen, now 94, is currently at Balmoral, where she is expected to remain for the next few months with Prince Philip. According to her granddaughter Princess Eugenie, the stunning castle is where the Monarch is "the most happy", and she loves spending time with her children and their familes. Due to social distancing, relatives will stay at separate accommodation rather than sleeping in the Castle itself. Speaking on ITV's documentary Our Queen at 90, Eugenie said: "It's the most beautiful place on earth. I think Granny is the most happy there, I think she really, really loves the Highlands walks, picnics, dogs, a lot of dogs, there's always dogs, and people coming in and out all the time. Family-wise we're all there, so it's a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa to be for us to come and see them up there where you just have room to breathe and run."
