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| The Devonshire Diamond Tiara (Photo: Grand Ladies Site) |
Evelyn Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire wears the Devonshire Diamond Tiara (made by A.F. Skinner, ca. 1893) in a portrait, ca. 1910
Book Recs for Lovers of Netflix’s The Crown
Finished season one of The Crown? Still find yourself craving more stories from the early reign of Queen Elizabeth II? Here’s a list of book recommendations to help you fill the void until season two premieres!
Young Elizabeth: The Making of the Queen by Kate Williams. Lots of books have covered the early life of Queen Elizabeth II, but Williams does so in a particularly accessible way. When writing my recaps of The Crown, I consulted this book for details about Elizabeth’s early reign more than once!
Daughter of Empire: My Life as a Mountbatten by Lady Pamela Hicks. This highly entertaining memoir, written by Lord Mountbatten’s younger daughter, is full of stories from her childhood and the period before her marriage. She was in Kenya with Philip and Elizabeth when King George VI died, and she also accompanied them on the 1953-54 Commonwealth Tour. She’s a natural storyteller, and she gives great insights into the little details of life on a long royal tour.
Princess Margaret by Theo Aronson. One of the newest additions to my royal bookshelf, this biography manages to capture Margaret’s complicated life without being either overly critical or overly deferential. Wonder what was really going on during the Townsend Affair? Start here.
Queen Mary by James Pope-Hennessy. This is far from the newest biography of Queen Mary on the market, but it’s always the one I find myself reaching for the most. It’s the official biography of Mary of Teck, and it’s a bit of a doorstopper, even in paperback. But if Mary’s complicated life as a member of two different royal families fascinates you, I think you’ll like this one. (It’s out of print; you can find used copies, but some are a bit pricey.)
Princes at War by Deborah Cadbury. For those who were intrigued by the relationship between the Duke of Windsor and King George VI, here’s a biography about the two of them, as well as two of their younger brothers, the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester. This is a really fascinating read, and it covers the abdication crisis and the World War that followed.
The Queen Mother by William Shawcross. This is the dense, officially-approved biography of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. It’s a great reference, and it includes lots of letters both to and from the Queen Mum. (Since it’s the official bio, though, don’t expect lots of juicy gossip.) This book was super helpful in referencing timeline details for the show, and it illuminates the fascinating real life of a character whom I feel was given a bit of a short stick in the series.
Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage by Gyles Brandreth. Chatty, entertaining, and intimate, this joint biography of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh is one of the most interesting royal biographies on my bookshelf. You can tell that Brandreth knows the Duke personally, but the book isn’t just a syrupy portrait of royal life. This one’s a great read. (It’s also out of print, but you can get used copies for literal pennies.)
Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece by Hugo Vickers. One of my favorite royal biographies of all time, about one of the most intriguing royal women of the twentieth-century. Were you fascinated by Philip’s mother, depicted in her nun’s habit in the series? Learn all about the journey that led her from palaces to hospitals to a religious life.
The Queen’s Diamonds by Sir Hugh Roberts. How many times can I recommend this book? I use it so regularly while writing and researching that it’s rarely far from my desk. If you were intrigued by the jewels worn in the show, and you want to see great photos of the real-life pieces, this is an excellent resource. It’s also a perfect holiday gift for the royal jewel lover in your life! (Which might be you! Who am I to judge? Sometimes the best presents are the ones we buy ourselves…)
Disclosure: The links in this post are affiliate links from Amazon.com. I receive a small percentage of each sale made through one of the links on my site, and I put all of that revenue directly back into materials for review here on the blog.
Jewel History: Gorgeous Gowns of US Princess (1920)
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| Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark wears a gem-set tiara and necklace |
“Gorgeous Gowns of US Princess”
(originally appeared in The Daily Southerner, 16 December 1920)
Following the dispatch two days ago of a tiara valued at a half-million dollars, in the making of which the biggest jewelers of London and Paris collaborated, six girls have started for Athens in charge of twenty-one trunks and fifty-three hat boxes containing the coronation trousseau of the Princess Christopher [1], formerly Mrs. William B. Leeds of the United States.
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| Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark wears a parure of diamond and emerald jewelry made by Cartier |
The trousseau, on which the famous Rue de la Paix dressmakers have been working day and night since it was definitely announced that former King Constantine would return to Greece [2], includes a sumptuous coronation gown of white satin. The gown is ornamented with purple brocade and has a three-yard train, which is a foot longer than the famous train worn by Mrs. Leeds when she was presented at the British court. At that time she was much criticized, as the court regulations prohibit a train longer than seven feet.
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| Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark (then Mrs. Leeds) wears a diamond and pearl tiara made for her by Cartier |
This train will be bordered with white seal, which will sweep downward from the head. The princess’s plumes, mounted with diamonds, will show up in vivid contrast to the famous Leeds pearls, three ropes of which will encircle the neck [3].
NOTES
1. Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark (1878-1923), née “Nancy” May Stewart of Zanesville, Ohio. Her first two husbands were both Americans; the second was William B. Leeds, the millionaire tin magnate. After Leeds’s death, she was a wealthy young widow on the social scene in Europe — and one of Cartier’s most valuable customers. She became engaged to the much-younger Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark in 1914, but they didn’t marry until 1920 (due mainly to family opposition and global warfare). She was created Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark, and her fortune helped fund the Greek royal family. Only three years after their wedding, Princess Anastasia died of cancer. Prince Christopher remarried to Princess Françoise of Orléans; the writer and historian Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark is their son.
2. King Constantine I of Greece (1868-1923) reigned twice as monarch of Greece (1913-1917 and 1920-1922). He initially took the throne after the assassination of his father, King George I, and then abdicated under immense government pressure in 1917. He was succeeded by his son, King Alexander, who then died after being bitten by a monkey in October 1920. A plebiscite held afterward restored Constantine to the throne in December 1920, although this article’s fanciful thoughts of a majestic coronation appear to be imaginative fictions. Constantine abdicated for a second time after an army revolt in September 1922; this time, his was succeeded by another son, King George II. (George is the one who famously quipped that “the most important tool for a King of Greece is a suitcase.”) Constantine died a few months later in exile.