I was so thrilled to be invited to give a talk about Prince George & Master Frederick in Kirby Misperton.  It's the place where the story began. My grandmother, Verna Twentyman, lived there from the late 1890s to 1920 and it was she who first told me of this mysterious family connection with King George III and his 'secret son', Frederick Blomberg, who owned Kirby Misperton from 1811 until his death in 1847.

On publication day, 30th January, I was interviewed on BBC Radio York. Rosemary Sellers, the churchwarden of St Laurence's Church, Kirby Misperton, heard it, was intrigued, rushed out to buy the book, read it, was even more intrigued and got in touch. I was delighted to receive the invitation from Rosemary to come to Kirby Misperton and share my story with people in the village. So, on 16th May I arrived at the church, the screen was set up for my visual 'show and tell' and people filled the pews to listen. It was great to give a talk about the book in place which was so important within the book.  Kirby Misperton is now Flamingo Land, a tourist destination for north Yorkshire.

But for me, the most exciting moment was when someone produced a picture for me to look at . Apparently it had been hanging on the wall of the church's vestry for 200 years. Nobody knew who it was. We turned over the picture and, sure enough, there was a lengthy note about the life of Frederick Blomberg and his signature.  

Ever since I began my research into the life of Frederick Blomberg I'd been aching to find an image of him as an adult. Well, this sketch - quite a caricature, really, must have been made when he was in his sixties. There he is wearing his academic gown, mortarboard, breeches, stockings and soft shoes. Small spectacles are fastened to his nose, his lower lip is quite pronounced and there's quite a tummy too!  What a contrast to the image of the beautiful boy with his greyhound which was captured by Richard Brompton when he was a young boy. The image of the child adorns my book jacket. 



Oh, but it is such a joy to finally have an image of Frederick in later years, and to have such a comprehensive biography on the back. I'm relieved that I got the story right for the book!  Now the picture can return to its place on the vestry wall and viewers can be content in the knowledge that they are looking at the 'secret son' of King George III.

One of the best things that has happened since I published Prince George & Master Frederick is the opportunity to talk to a live audience about my research and how I came to write the book.  And it's involved quite a bit of travel too. I've spoken at the Regency House in Brunswick Square in Brighton/Hove, the U3A in Waltham Forest and Hampstead.
And there are more speaking dates in the diary. 

I'm very excited to be travelling to Yorkshire in mid May to give at talk in St Laurence's Church, Kirby Misperton. This village in north Yorkshire is a significant location in my book and was home for Frederick Blomberg, the Master Frederick of the book's title.  I'll definitely post a blog about that after it's happened. But if you are interested in attending it's on 16th May, 7.30pm at St Laurence's in Kirby Misperton.

And if you'd like to arrange for me to talk about the secret son of King George III and hear about his astonishing story, then please do get in touch. Back soon. 






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It's nearly a month since the day Prince George & Master Frederick was published. Wow! what an exciting moment that was. I was thrilled to see St Giles's Church, Cripplegate filled with familiar and friendly faces. And I'm delighted to have sold so many books.  

And the next stage is just as exciting - reviews!  They've appeared in a few papers and magazines but I really love seeing the comments left by eager readers on the Amazon and Goodreads websites. These reviews really help the book to hold its own on that huge selling platform. So, if you happen to have read my book and would like to leave a review please do go to the Prince George & Master Frederick page on Amazon and jot something down - with as many stars as you would care to give!

Thank you for this support. It means a great deal.

Wahay!  Publication day! 30th January 2025.  Prince George & Master Frederick was thoroughly launched at a spectacular event at St Giles' Church, Cripplegate. I was overwhelmed by the wonderful number of supporters who braved the chilly night to come and celebrate my book and buy signed copies.  Adam Stafford introduced the event, then my publisher, Janet Weitz of Alliance Publishing Press made a very generous speech . Then I spoke about the backstory to the writing of this novel, my grandmother's story that we had a connection with King George III and the enormous amount of research which went into the novel.  And what fun to see so many lovely friends from all the stages of my life.

Well, this is a very exciting moment!  After years of research, writing, editing and marketing the great day is nearly here. Prince George & Master Frederick is about to be published. Before Christmas the publicity machine started turning but it's reached a fever pitch in the last few weeks.  I'm delighted to have seen many articles about the book in areas such as Yorkshire, Somerset, Sussex and, of course, London. And I've been popping up on radio stations all around the country with a bit of telly in the capital too.

I've referenced most of the coverage on my social media but thought I'd add this great feature from the Yorkshire Post to the blog because that's where the whole story began. It was my grandmother's childhood in Kirby Misperton, near Malton, in north Yorkshire, where she first encountered the story of Frederick Blomberg.  Although it became rather scrambled through the generations of telling, there was always a kernel of truth there. It's been so exciting to chart the life of someone who led such an extraordinary life.

Please do order your signed copy via this website. But you can also order it through bookshops, Amazon and other retailers.  Happy reading!
​Ros x

Done it!  I've never recorded an entire book before and it involved spending four days in a freezing cold studio space reading the book and remembering to stay close to the microphone and keeping up the energy in my voice.  I now have tremendous respect for professional actors who spend hours alone in recording studios reading through lengthy books. Oh, but it was an enjoyable process. Knowing the text, and the characters, so well, I was keen to bring the book to life my own way. It's always a challenge doing accents - especially when you have two or more people in conversation, all of whom speak with different accents - but I did it!

The book took four days to record. It was a stop/start process. The studio engineer might stop me because I'd tapped something, breathed too loudly or my tummy rumbled. And my director would say: Stop, you need to change the emphasis. Or: This is a very important line, say it more slowly.  What a learning curve but fascinating and very rewarding.  We all punched the air with delight when I reached the magical words: The End!

So, there's quite a bit of editing and tidying up to do but the Audible version of Prince George & Master Frederick will be joining the printed book and Kindle version by the time we reach publication on 30th January.  How amazing it is to think that my debut novel will be published in one month's time.

Holding a printed copy of a book, hot off the press, must be one of the most satisfying experiences for any author.  All that work, the many hours of research, writing and editing is finally seen on beautifully printed pages with a handsome jacket.

I'm very excited.  It's early days, because the book is not due to be published until 30th January. However, it's good to know that finished copies can be sent to long-lead media and that publications have the chance to read the book and consider writing a feature or review in time for late January or early February 2025.

Here's a heads up - there's going to be a book launch at a meaningful location in London. This is a place which was important to Frederick Blomberg in his life.  All will be revealed nearer the time. 
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This is my Rosalind Freeborn, author, website. It's been created in advance of the publication of my debut novel, Prince George & Master Frederick which will be published by Alliance Publishing Press on 30th January 2025.  This is a very exciting  moment for me. It's taken over three years to get to the stage when the manuscript has been through its final edit and is with the designer being prepared for printing. 

The story is about the secret, first-born son of King George III.  King George is famous for several reasons: the longest reigning king in British history, 'lost' the American colonies after the War of Independence, was married to Queen Charlotte and produced fifteen children and, most memorably of all, went mad. The poor man suffered several bouts of manic madness and the final bout, in 1810 signalled the end of his reign as monarch when his eldest son, Prince George, the Prince of Wales, was appointed as regent.

But what people don't know is that King George III had a secret first-born son. He was Frederick Blomberg and, at the age of nearly four years, was bundled into a carriage and taken to the royal palace at Richmond to be a playmate for the then three-year-old Prince George.  Young Frederick was brought up like a prince. He was very much a member of the Georgian royal family, the oldest of a great brood of children who crowded the royal nurseries at Richmond, Kew and then Windsor Castle.  But historians have never given Frederick a second thought. He's mentioned in accounts of birthday parties and royal events but always as the 'adopted son', 'foster brother' or even 'whipping boy'.

As an adult, Frederick remained close to the royal family. Having studied divinity at Cambridge and being ordained, he was quickly back with his family at Windsor as royal chaplain. He was also a private secretary and clerk of the closet to the Prince of Wales with whom he was a close friend and confidante. The half-brothers remained royal friends and secret brothers throughout their lives, until King George IV died in 1830.  

I'll keep adding more posts throughout the autumn and winter as publication approaches. 
Rosalind Freeborn  October 2024