Lady in Waiting

January 1, 2020
An insider's look at the world of palaces, princesses, and the pressure of public life. Readers who've already binge-watched the third season of The Crown needn't fret. Glenconner's meticulously detailed memoir of her life in service to the crown will whet the appetite of anyone hungering for more tales of Britain's royals. Opening with her childhood on the fifth-largest estate in England, the author chronicles her personal and professional life as lady-in-waiting and confidante to her childhood friend Princess Margaret. In Glenconner's capable hands, we learn about a motley cast of characters including her horse- and Harley Davidson-riding mother, a Scottish great-aunt who was a Christian Scientist, and the formidable Queen Mary, who intimidated her grandchildren but gave the author good life advice. A pleasing blend of detail and balance, the book provides sufficient glimpses into sumptuous palaces and shooting parties to inspire awe and keen insight into the people who inhabit them. Glenconner's candor about wealth and privilege enables readers to sympathize as she describes the emotional coldness of her parents and her father's undisguised disappointment at her not being born a boy. The fun of racing with the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret through her family's palatial estate and various royal residences could not make up for the fact that the author's worth--or lack thereof--was predicated on her sex and marriage. The poor-little-rich-girl story is hardly new, but what makes this account fresh and poignant is Glenconner's use of affluent characters to demonstrate the extent to which class trumps power; even those at the top seem helpless to challenge tradition. By unflinchingly examining everything from her troubled marriage and her fraught relationship with her children to the solace she found in service, the author emerges as a flawed yet steely woman worthy of respect. In laying her life bare, she demonstrates the limitations of being a woman in the British class system, showing that privilege is no insulation from suffering or pain. A must-have for loyal royal fans.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from February 1, 2020

Inspired to share her stories by visits from Helena Bonham Carter and Nancy Carroll in preparation for their roles in the third season of Netflix's The Crown, Glenconner weaves a captivating narrative that hooks readers from the start. From her early childhood in Norfolk to being Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation to her position as Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret and beyond, Lady Glenconner provides an open and honest look into the private lives of England's royal family and the most elite members of society. The author's sense of humor shines through in her writing, bringing levity to some of the difficult times that peppered her life. While her lifelong friendship with Princess Margaret allows readers to see a different side of the royal, some of the most fascinating stories involve the author's husband, Lord Glenconner. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers interested in the British aristocracy and personality-driven memoirs. Glenconner, featured in the third season of The Crown, is a strong, intriguing woman whom fans of the show may wish to learn more about.--Katie McGaha, LA County Lib., Agoura Hills

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 20, 2020
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.

Starred review from February 1, 2020
Glenconnor has led a fascinating life, filled with soaring highs (maid of honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation) and rather pedestrian lows (a traveling salesperson, hawking her mother's pottery). As lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret from 1971 until the princess' death in 2002, Glenconner embodied everything anyone could want in a companion: loyalty, dedication, tact, and a great sense of humor. She accompanied "Ma'am" around the world, to royal balls, receptions, and diplomatic functions. But despite her glamorous public persona, Glenconner's personal life was filled with loss. She married a philandering aristocrat known for his violent temper, lost one son to AIDS and another to drugs, and nursed a third through a life-changing traumatic brain injury. Her wildly unpredictable husband bought Mustique, a mosquito-infested island, and turned it into a private playground for the rich and famous (as seen in season three of The Crown). Whether describing scenes of delicacy or debauchery, these insider accounts are fascinating. Glenconner is unfailingly perceptive, honest, and amazingly down-to-earth, a survivor who embodies the British trait of "getting on with it." A definite thrill for royal watchers and fans of Downton Abbey, this entertaining peek behind the royal curtain should attract a wide audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)