Synopses & Reviews
"A first-class piece of research and reconstruction graced by a first-class writing talent, with a startling royal family scandal buried at the heart of the story." - Barbara Tuchman on Anne Edwards'
Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor
"This is the stuff of fairy tales," said the Archbishop of Canterbury on July 23, 1981, after the 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer arrived in a glass coach for her wedding to Prince Charles. But everyone knows how that fairy tale ended.
Drawing upon intensive research and interviews, acclaimed biographer Anne Edwards, well-known for her revelatory and incisive books on members of Britain's royal family, here uncovers new details of Diana's life and her search for love; of her family background; and of a betrayal, historic in its outcome. What the public did not know at the time of her storybook wedding was the true story of Diana's troubled childhood-of the cold, autocratic grandfather who disdained her father, who was himself an abusive husband obsessed with having a son to inherit the Spencer wealth and title.
When Diana married Prince Charles, she joined the equally troubled House of Windsor, and was caught up in a plot Shakespearean in its deception and eventual tragic ending. Anne Edwards paints a vivid portrait of a woman desperate in her marriage, fearful of her life, who became devious-and often brilliant-in the moves she played in a treacherous royal chess game.
As in her superb biographies of other royal and celebrated women, Anne Edwards transcends the one-sided views of Diana in a work that must be called definitive. At long last, and with all of the insight and narrative drama that have marked her previous bestsellers, Edwards brings us the first full-scale, authoritative portrait of a more intelligent, more resourceful, and sometimes more ruthless woman than we have seen before.
Review
"Intensely absorbing"--
Publishers Weekly"The queen of biography outflashes the paparazzi in the life of the late Prince of Wales."--Kirkus Reviews
"Diana's fans are sure to be delighted by Edwards's intimate prose and detailed descriptions."--Publishers Weekly
"[A] fascinating book...Anne Edwards has provided a biography worthy of her reputation, one that...illuminates its subject with new material and fresh thinking." --St. Louis Times-Dispatch
Synopsis
As she has done with other legendary but troubled women (Vivien Leigh and Judy Garland), Edwards transcends the one-sided views of Princess Diana in a biography that is both clear-eyed and sympathetic. Drawing on intensive research and interviews, the author brings a full-scale portrait of a more intelligent, more resourceful, and sometimes more reckless woman than readers have seen before. 16-page photo insert.
Synopsis
Overnight, Diana Spencer emerged from relative obscurity to become the most famous--and most photographed--woman in the world. By all appearances, her marriage to Prince Charles was a Cinderella story come to life. Everyone knows how the fairy tale ended, but few people know that Diana's debut into the House of Windsor was as carefully manipulated as her public persona--and no one could have imagined what it would ultimately cost her.
Drawing from extensive research and exclusive interviews, acclaimed biographer Anne Edwards unveils the portrait of an enigmatic legend to give us never-before-revealed details of Diana's life; of her upbringing in a cold, autocratic family; of her search for love; of her tumultuous marriage with the Prince of Wales; and of an iconic princess who was as powerful a force as the Royal Family had ever encounter. Anne Edward paints and unforgivable portrait of a woman desperate in her marriage, fearful for her life, caught up in an ever more treacherous royal chess game.
About the Author
Anne Edwards, who lived in London for many years and has close friends within royal circles, is the author of many bestselling biographies, including
Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor and
Royal Sisters: Elizabeth and Margaret. She is known for her meticulous research and ability to portray her subjects with passion and sympathy. She has also written biographies of Vivien Leigh, Margaret Mitchell, Katharine Hepburn, and Sonya, Countess Tolstoy.