The Viceroy's Daughters

by De Courcy, Anne

• ISBN13: 9780066210612
• ISBN10: 0066210615
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-03-14
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

Based on unpublished letters and diaries, "The Viceroy's Daughters" is a riveting portrait of three spirited and wilful women who were born at the height of British upper-class wealth and privilege. The oldest, Irene, never married but pursued her passion for foxes, alcohol, and married men. The middle, Cimmie, was a Labour Party activist turned Fascist. And Baba, the youngest and most beautiful, possessed an appetite for adultery that was as dangerous as it was outrageous. As the sisters dance, dine, and romance their way through England's most hallowed halls, we get an intimate look at a country clinging to its history in the midst of war and rapid change. We obtain fresh perspectives on such personalities as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Oswald Mosley, Nancy Astor and the Cliveden Set, and Lord Halifax. And we discover a world of women, impeccably bred and unabashedly wilful, whose passion and spirit were endlessly fascinating.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Curzon and His Circle	1	(8)
Viceroy and Vicereine	9	(5)
The Schoolroom at Hackwood	14	(6)
Elinor Glyn	20	(8)
Enter Grace Duggan	28	(11)
Growing Up	39	(14)
``She Must Do As She Pleases''	53	(13)
Baba Comes Out	66	(10)
The Absentee Wife	76	(9)
Melton Mowbray: Life at the Gallop	85	(9)
The Passing of the Viceroy	94	(11)
Cimmie and Tom: Early Married Life	105	(12)
Irene: In Love with Married Men	117	(8)
Lady Cynthia Mosley, MP	125	(11)
The Mosley Memorandum	136	(9)
The New Party	145	(12)
High Life and Low Morals on the Riviera	157	(9)
Diana Guinness, Trophy Mistress	166	(10)
``Goodbye My Buffy''	176	(13)
Keeping It in the Family	189	(10)
The Blackshirt Phenomenon	199	(11)
Baba and Diana: Sharing Mosley	210	(13)
Mrs. Simpson Rules	223	(13)
Abdication	236	(16)
``I Should Have Kissed Her but I Just Couldn't''	252	(14)
The Cliveden Set	266	(10)
At Home with the Duke	276	(12)
Fruity Speaks His Mind	288	(15)
Britain at War	303	(15)
``My Idea of a Perfect Evening''	318	(14)
The Dorch	332	(8)
An Unexpected Proposal	340	(15)
The Halifax Letters	355	(12)
Sisterly Jealousy	367	(12)
Peace but Not Accord	379	(9)
Envoi	388	(13)
Note on Sources	401	(6)
Bibliography	407	(4)
Index	411