When Queen Mary died in 1953, James Pope-Hennessy was commissioned to write an official biography of her – unusual for a Queen Consort.
Queen Mary’s life, contrary to popular belief, was essentially dramatic, and she played a far more important and influential role in the affairs of the British monarchy than her public image might have otherwise suggested. Using material from the Royal Archives, private papers and Queen Mary’s personal diaries and letters, Pope-Hennessy’s biography is a remarkable portrait of a remarkable woman and received rave reviews across the press.
‘The most entertaining royal biography that has ever been written.’ Harold Nicolson
The Purple Moth
I remember distinctly the first time I read James Pope-Hennessy’s Queen Mary. It was a scorching hot August afternoon in Umbria. Retreating indoors in search of shade, I picked up the fat paperback...
Read more
Leave your review