LADY IN WAITING by Anne Glenconnor

 

Reading this reminded me of that great movie of a few years ago about the backing singers to some of rock's biggest bands and stars. Lady Anne Glenconnor is a bit like those backing singers - always there, always reliable, essential for the show to go on, never in the limelight, loyal to a fault. What a woman and what a life. And she can tell a great story, bringing the royal family to life, normalising them as much as they can normalised. 

Her own life too is extraordinary. First born child and one of three daughters to the 5th Earl of Leicester, she is right up there in the English aristocracy system. Well educated, growing up in the loftiest of circles - her father was equerry to King George, her mother a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth, she grew up with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, always a part of each other's lives. She had her own life and freedom before marrying Colin Tennant, aka Lord Glenconnor. I don't know much about bi polar or manic behaviour, but I would say he definitely had some sort of mental health issue, yet she is the absolute soul of discretion and never makes such a bold suggestion. She is amazing for finding ways to live with this crazy man. She and Colin have five children together, with more tragedy than any parent should have to deal with. I was almost crying at parts in this book. 

Enough to say about that. Her life with Colin is a crazy rollercoaster, living between England and the beautiful island of Mustique in the Caribbean that he bought on a whim  and became the playground for the rich and famous. It is also where Princess Margaret met Roddy Llwellynn  when her own marriage was in trouble. 

She becomes lady in waiting to Princess Margaret, her faithful and loving companion to the end. We have heard lots of ghastly things about Princess Margaret since The Crown series began. They may all be true but Lady Glenconnor humanises her, makes us see some of the reasons why all these awful stories have become legendary. 

What makes this book such a joy to read is that Lady Glenconnor comes across as a very ordinary person born into into an exceptional and unusual environment. Her parents are very down to earth, sensible and human, passing all those qualities onto their daughter. She is however a woman of her time, not able to inherit the title, and so disposable to the most marriageable man, with all the rigours and rules that go with that.  I am not sure if many young women now would be the submissive, compliant lady expected of the time - witness Princess Diana who chose to step outside the magic circle and be her own person. She also questions the way parenting is done at these high echelons of society and the detrimental effect it can have on the children - parenting done by everyone other than the parents. 

I loved this. She has had a fabulous life, telling her story with ease, grace, style, and lots of surprises.