The first definitive biography of the queen's aunt, a sister to two kings and a pioneering member of the royal family, who redefined the role of a princess for the modern age.
Diana, Princess of Wales, is seen worldwide as the first British royal to tear up the rulebook in terms of what behaviour befit a princess, and in her wake Kate and Meghan are reported to be taking leaps and bounds in modernising the monarchy. But before this trio of deservedly lauded - and often lambasted - women, there was a princess who redefined what it was to be a princess.
Born in 1897, Princess Mary was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. Despite her Victorian beginnings, she strove to make a princess' life meaningful, using her elevated position to help those less fortunate and defying gender-based conventions about a woman of her standing should be able to do. From her heavy involvement in the war effort, visiting wounded soldiers and training as a nurse, to her role in many of the twentieth century's key events in royal history, Mary was one princess who paved the way for the modern age.
About the Author
Elisabeth Basford is a writer, blogger and social media copywriter, who has been in the education sector for twenty-five years. She has written for online publications and magazines including Cosmopolitan, Red , and Goldie . Her blog, focused on arts, culture, history and lifestyle, was nominated for the UK Blog Awards and receives more than 250 unique hits per day. She lives in South Yorkshire.
Industry Reviews
"At last a biography of Princess Mary, the Queen's aunt - and a good one ... She has long deserved a full study and in Elisabeth Basford, she has found a dedicated and sympathetic biographer, who has done her full justice"
Hugo Vickers
"An enjoyable, worthwhile story, not least in its celebration of an exemplary royal record undertaken with modesty, kindliness and sincerity"
Matthew Dennison, Daily Telegraph
"Filled with never previously known information, this first full biography is the definitive read for this refreshingly forward-looking, eternally good-willed and relatively little-known Princess"
Annabel Sampson, Tatler
"She was an exemplar of the unflagging postwar countess, always doing good, always keeping busy to stave off grief. When we contemplate the Queen's lifelong devotion to duty, we sense the influence of her unpretentious aunt"
Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Times
"Surprisingly, there has never been a biography of Princess Mary, the Queen's aunt and sister to George VI and the Duke of Windsor, until now. Elisabeth Basford's diligently researched account of the princess's life is therefore a welcome one ... Basford persuasively argues that she was a thoroughly modern member of the royal family, possessed of genuine compassion and interest in helping others ... Perhaps some of her descendants could learn from her"
Alexander Larman, Observer
