Lady in Waiting
My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
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4.4 • 233 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
**OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD**
**A TIMES MEMOIR OF THE YEAR **
'The best royal book by miles . . . funny, gossipy and riveting'
JANE RIDLEY, SPECTATOR
'If your jaw doesn't drop at least three times every chapter, you've not been paying proper attention'
SUNDAY TIMES
A Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation and former Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, Anne Glenconner has spent her life as a friend of the royal family. In this bestselling memoir, she looks back on an extraordinary life full of glamour, drama and tragedy.
The eldest child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, Anne knew as a daughter she would not inherit the family fortune and was instead brought up to secure an eligible husband. Her marriage to the charismatic Colin Tennant - later Lord Glenconner - would prove a test of every strength she possessed, while her friendship with Princess Margaret, which began in childhood, grew ever closer.
From the tragic loss of two of her grown-up sons to the cruel surprise of her late husband's final will, Lady in Waiting is Anne Glenconner's remarkable testament to the resilience and humour that define her as she emerges from the shadow of her husband and the crown, reminding us that all that glitters is not gold.
'A captivating account of a life lived with resilience and grace'
DAILY MAIL
'The stoical Lady G writes with infectious joy and optimism'
DAILY EXPRESS
'The gossip is stupendous but it's also tremendously touching. It's one of those books that makes you long for bed so you can read more!'
JILLY COOPER
'I can't recommend it highly enough'
LORRAINE KELLY
'Gentle, wise, unpretentious, but above all inspiring'
THE TIMES
'A candid, witty and stylish memoir'
MIRANDA SEYMOUR, FINANCIAL TIMES
'Stalwart and disarmingly honest . . . emotion resonates through this delightful memoir'
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
'Discretion and honour emerge as the hallmarks of Glenconner's career as a royal servant, culminating in this book which manages to be both candid and kind'
GUARDIAN
'I couldn't put it down. Funny and touching - like looking through a keyhole at a lost world.'
RUPERT EVERETT
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Glenconner, former lady-in-waiting to England's Princess Margaret, provides a rare behind-the-scenes look at the British royal family in this heartbreaking and engrossing memoir. Born in 1932, the eldest child of the future Earl of Leicester and "the greatest disappointment on behalf of her sex," an entrepreneurial Glenconner found herself "in a great many odd circumstances" growing up, including a stint selling pottery traveling from town to town, on her way to adulthood. In 1953, Glenconner served as maid of honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation, and in 1971, Princess Margaret invited her to be a lady-in-waiting, a position she held until Margaret's death in 2002. Throughout this time, Glenconner met presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and hobnobbed with celebrities including David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Raquel Welch at Glenconner's husband's private Caribbean island. Glenconner's an entertaining writer, even as she describes being married to the volatile but charming Colin Tennant for 54 years, through his tantrums, absences, and affairs. She becomes wistful when she writes of suffering through one of her children's drug addiction, another's death to AIDS, and one's near-fatal motorcycle accident that left him in a coma for months. This memoir of life amid British royalty is full of understated wit and charm.
Customer Reviews
Lady in Waiting
Absolutely brilliant read, I laughed, I cried and was utterly astonished at times, what an incredible and extraordinary life this wonderful lady has led and continues to do so. Thank you for sharing your memoirs, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I wish I hadn’t read it so fast, but I just couldn’t put it down!
Extraordinary
Full of beautiful memories, a fable like extraordinary life.
Lady in waiting
Brilliant, funny, sad, interesting. What a life this woman had.