Lady in Waiting

My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown

By: Anne Glenconner

Narrated by: Anne Glenconner

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

The remarkable life of Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret who was also a Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation - and is a character in The Crown this autumn.

Anne Glenconner reveals the real events behind The Crown as well as her own life of drama, tragedy and courage, with the wonderful wit and extraordinary resilience which define her.

Anne Glenconner has been close to the Royal Family since childhood. Eldest child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, she was, as a daughter, described as 'the greatest disappointment' by her family as she was unable to inherit. Her childhood home, Holkham Hall, is one of the grandest estates in England. Bordering Sandringham, the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were frequent playmates.

From Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation to Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, Lady Glenconner is a unique witness to royal history as well as an extraordinary survivor of a generation of aristocratic women trapped without inheritance and burdened with social expectations.

She married the charismatic but highly volatile Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who became the owner of Mustique. Together they turned the island into a paradise for the rich and famous, including Mick Jagger and David Bowie, and it became a favourite retreat for Princess Margaret.

But beneath the glitz and glamour there has also lurked tragedy. On Lord Glenconner's death in 2010 he left his fortune to a former employee. And of their five children, two grown-up sons died, while a third son had to be nursed back from a coma by Anne, after having suffered a near fatal accident.

Anne Glenconner writes with extraordinary wit, generosity and courage, and she exposes what life was like in her gilded cage, revealing the role of her great friendship with Princess Margaret and the freedom she can now finally enjoy in later life. She will appear as a character in the new series of The Crown this autumn.

©2019 Anne Glenconner (P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

An incredible insight

This book was so much more than I imagined. I always love when they’re narrated by the original others and Lady Anne Glenconner did not disappoint. Her incredible life story is so well pieced together in this book giving a great insight into her first hand dealings of the who’s who of society in the last 70 years. Her own, personal life story is also extremely interesting, moving and honestly written. A great listen overall!

Such an amazing listen

What a beautifully written book- absolutely captivating (especially as it’s read by the author). Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!

Will leave you confused about how to feel.

There’s no doubt that Anne Glenconner has lived an extraordinary life. Her account of recent historical events is amazing to hear from an eye witness. Her terrible personal tragedies show that money and privilege doesn’t make you immune to suffering.

However, there’s a lot about this account that is hard to hear. She spent over 50 years married to an extremely abusive man and she doesn’t seem to see that that’s what he was. It’s disturbing in the extreme to listen to someone talk so matter of factly - and lovingly - about someone whose public temper tantrums would’ve landed him in jail at times if he hadn’t been so rich. Speaking of being rich, she simply has no understanding of what poverty means and even refers to her family, with their stately homes, servants and overseas travel during her childhood, as “too poor” to afford certain things. It’s quite insulting to the men and women of her generation who experienced genuine poverty and suffering, particularly during and after WWII.

The casual description of animal abuse is also hard to stomach. I was expecting the revolting details of a family of aristocrats who went hunting and thought murdering living beings for a laugh was perfectly acceptable. A husband who went to cock fights and rodeos and bought an elephant, which he had shipped half way around the world to use for rides, was shocking. This kind of animal abuse has been illegal in the UK for decades and he could only do it because he was so wealthy that he purchased an entire Caribbean island, where he could harm animals, safely out of the reach of the UK authorities.

Fantastic book enjoyed every minute

I really enjoyed this book. I am recovering from a traumatic brain injury and have found listening to Lady Glenconner reading this story of her life genuinely absorbing. The author has overcome great adversity and sadness and yet managed to carry on and not let the many dreadful things that have happened bring her down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and have already done so.

Exceptional story!

Very enjoyable, especially because it's read by the author. Very interesting and funny, at times touching and emotional. Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended!

Enjoyed it!

I sincerely enjoyed this book, read with such emotion, Lady Glenconner is a survivor who had been through so much tragedy in the midst of privilege, and the fact that she read it herself! I could feel the emotion in her voice during the most tragic parts of the book. Wish you well Ma’am! Highly recommend this book.

Cheers.
Chinenye from Nigeria

An interesting look at en era gone by

An interesting account of an extraordinary life.

It adds to the pleasure that Lady Glenconner read the audiobook herself.

I highly recommend it.

A glimpse into glamour

An honest account of a gilded cage, and proof that human nature - good and bad, but always complex and nuanced spills messily into every level of society.
Honest, heartbreaking but heartwarming too.

Excellent

If you are interested in the Royal family and enjoy hearing about how the families of British
aristocracy live this book is for you. Highly entertaining, funny and sometimes sad.

fantastic

i absolutely loved this. thanks for sharing your beautiful lifes story with us. It's was marvelous.