Anne Glenconner

This was such a good book that I stayed up WAY too late finishing it.

Anne Glenconner is a member of an aristocratic family, and as a child she lived close enough to Sandringham that the young Princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, were her early playmates. Anne was especially close to Princess Margaret, and the pair of them were best friends until Margaret's death. She was also one of Margaret's Ladies-in-Waiting.

Anne married Colin Tennant, another aristocrat, who was fabulously rich. He was also enormously unfaithful, had a dreadful temper, and was so thin-skinned that he threw public temper tantrums, curling up in the fetal position while out in public, and screaming at the Royal Opera House. He did have a good head for business, and Mustique, the Caribbean Island where the fabulously wealthy vacation, was Colin's island, which he transformed from bush and scrub into a paradise. Anne may have had 54 years with him, personally I don't think I could manage a weekend with him, although he was known for great charm and fabulous parties.

Anne's life had some tragedies, including the deaths of two of her three sons at far too early an age. When Colin died, he left all his fortune to an employee, and it took years for the will to be overturned. On the other hand, she was one of Queen Elizabeth II's attendants at her coronation, and travelled widely, including twenty-six trips to India.

If you are already familiar with the Royal house, you'll enjoy this book. It may be a bit too obscure for those without knowledge about the main Royal players.

Definitely a new favourite book.… (more)

Lady-in-Waiting by Anne Glenconner is a fascinating memoir about her life. As the daughter of an Earl and wife of a Baron her life was interesting and varied. Growing up on a huge estate in Norfolk she was playmates with the future Queen and her sister. She was one of Queen Elizabeth’s Maids of Honor for the Queen’s coronation and Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Margaret for over twenty years.

Her life was one of both magic and despair. Her husband was extremely difficult and tragedy struck her family more than once. At the same time she was of a privileged class and her friendship with Princess Margaret granted her access to many royal secrets, affairs and events. She and her husband were the owners of the island of Mustique and he, in particular, worked hard at developing the island into a glamorous retreat for the rich and famous.

Lady-in-Waiting is chock full of interesting incidents told in a conversational style and regardless of whether she tells the whole truth, the book is an absorbing read with it’s glimpses into royal life and the aristocracy who truly are different from the rest of us.… (more)

Raced through this gossipy book about and by Anne Glenconner, long time lady in waiting to Princess Margaret. Her life was tangled in privilege and loss, outrageous expense and sorrow. She is definitely from the “put up and shut up about it” generation and there is no self-pity to be found in these pages, which I find endearing. Nowadays we are all about wallowing in trauma- here she takes on several tragedies with pure pluck and determination.
Of course, it is somewhat easier to deal with things when you are impossibly wealthy, I can’t help but think, but even here she doesn’t take on airs or lay claim to anything through her own merit.
I found myself liking her more and more as the book went on.
A good read and a quick one, even at 300 pages. Makes for an enjoyable afternoon of reading.
PS: this isn’t a gossip tell all about Princess M- in fact she is mentioned rarely, and in a no more than “she was a lovely woman” kind of way. And this makes me like the author even more. She is writing about her life, and she is kind to everyone around her, despite the things that go on.
Makes me wish for more appearance of grace in our brutal times. I long for that polite sheen over everything.… (more)