Quite a strange, but interesting, book.
Anne Glenconner is a typical upper class English girl, born into the aristocracy, marries another aristocrat (or if not, very wealthy, young man) has five children by him and becomes a lady in waiting to Princess Margaret.
The husband, who can afford these sorts of things, buys the Caribbean island of Mustique (a snip at £45k back in the 1950’s). He is a serial adulterer, but she seems to accept this, being more pre-occupied with class and royalty than much else. She becomes best mates with Princess Margaret and she and her husband give the princess a house in Mustique.
But against this background, the times they are a ch-changing and her eldest son becomes a heroin addict and eventually dies. Her next son, having married predictably, comes out as gay and dies of aids. I think that she acknowledges that neither she nor her husband were much good as parents, but in that generation, this was seen as low priority.
A fascinating snippet of history and insight into royalty and the aristocracy.
Comments