In his new book, University of Sussex Professor Nicholas Royle has claimed famous English children’s writer Enid Blyton had a lesbian affair with his grandmother. The woman, Lola Onslow, was also an illustrator who worked with the renowned children’s author during the 1920s.

As reported by The Times, in David Bowie, Enid Blyton and the Sun Machine, Royle explains “One day my mother said to me: ‘Your grandmother had an affair with Enid Blyton’…Those were her words.”

He explained that he was told when he was much younger, at a time when he didn’t care to investigate the claims further.

“I am almost blushing to be talking about it now because, when my mother said it, why didn’t I ask for more details?” Royle wrote.

“I was in my twenties and I was an angry young man who wasn’t interested in the least in a dead grandmother I’d never met, or Enid Blyton. Looking back, when I think about it, I think how could I have let that just go like that?”

It wasn’t until he was reading the author’s books to his children during the Covid-19 pandemic that he remembered the comment “in a very vivid way”. Upon conducting further research, he found that Blyton and Onslow lived in London at the same time, and read of other rumours about the Famous Five writer’s alleged same-sex romances.

“I was beguiled by the regularity with which I came across references to Enid Blyton’s bisexuality or to Blyton having had relationships with women,” he said. 

“Normally it was without naming anybody…I did know at least one person who had a name and it was my grandmother.”

While there have been rumours of Enid Blyton having lesbian affairs, it should also be noted that she has also been accused of having “racist, sexist, homophobic views”. Additionally, plans to commemorate the author who died in 1968, on a 50p coin were reportedly blocked by Royal Mint because of “deep concern” over the “adverse reaction” it may have sparked.