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Sir Henry "Chips" Channon's position as a Member of Parliament allowed him entrée to a privileged world of socializing, politics, and historic events. The years covered in this volume, 1934-53, recall a vanished world in which every social and public figure of the day made the party, joining in endless gossip. Culled from some three million words from the original diaries, the editor's selection gives us the pivotal moments and characters of history, etched indelibly by a master observer. "How sharp an eye? What neat malice! How, in their fashion, well written and truthful and honest they... more Sir Henry "Chips" Channon's position as a Member of Parliament allowed him entrée to a privileged world of socializing, politics, and historic events. The years covered in this volume, 1934-53, recall a vanished world in which every social and public figure of the day made the party, joining in endless gossip. Culled from some three million words from the original diaries, the editor's selection gives us the pivotal moments and characters of history, etched indelibly by a master observer. "How sharp an eye? What neat malice! How, in their fashion, well written and truthful and honest they are!"--Malcolm Muggeridge, Observer.
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Hugo VickersI chose him because he gives one of the most wonderful day-to-day accounts of the abdication. He was very keen on royalty. But not only that: I discovered in it the person I wrote my first biography of. That was someone called Gladys Deacon who was the Duchess of Marlborough and there is an amazing description of her in that book which set me on the quest to find her, and I did. (Source)
Chris MullinSir Henry Chips’ Channon was a Tory MP for Southend – an American who married into the Guinness family and was therefore at home in high society. He never rose in rank above being parliamentary private secretary to the deputy foreign secretary, RAB Butler. His secret was that he entertained on a lavish scale; I mean a truly awesome scale. The king comes to dinner during the middle of the... (Source)
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Sir James Reed's granddaughter-in-law discovered the papers and diaries of Queen Victoria's private physician Sir James Reed and turned them into a biography. Sir James Reed also served as a counselor to the Queen and friend to three monarchs. James Reid, Queen Victoria's personal physician for over 20 years, eventually became one of the most influential men in England and a channel of communication between the Queen and the government. An intimate member of the royal household, he helped extricate Victoria from many muddles and household crises, while he himself enjoyed the friendship of... more Sir James Reed's granddaughter-in-law discovered the papers and diaries of Queen Victoria's private physician Sir James Reed and turned them into a biography. Sir James Reed also served as a counselor to the Queen and friend to three monarchs. James Reid, Queen Victoria's personal physician for over 20 years, eventually became one of the most influential men in England and a channel of communication between the Queen and the government. An intimate member of the royal household, he helped extricate Victoria from many muddles and household crises, while he himself enjoyed the friendship of exiled Empress Eugenie, Kaiser Wilhelm and others in the Queen's extended family of European royalty. Drawing on Reid's diaries and other unpublished materials, the wife of his grandson here reconstructs an engaging picture of the relationship of the young Scottish doctor and the aging monarch. As he catered to Victoria's foibles and minor ailments, Reid won her trust and the favor that resulted in knighthood, although, even as a practicing physician, he never saw his royal patient undressed until she was dead. less Hugo VickersSir James Reid was her doctor and it was said of him that she consulted her doctor like some people consult the stock market – three times a day. He never examined her, which was an extraordinary thing. It would have been very helpful if he had been allowed to do so. And he only discovered all sorts of things after she died. But it is a wonderful description of life in Queen Victoria’s court –... (Source)
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Hugo VickersYes, she lived to be nearly 103 and I went to see her a couple of times. She was very shy and wonderfully dry. When she spoke she always put an emphasis on the wrong word. She was a very attractive person. I reviewed the book when it came out. I just found myself laughing on every page. I was gripped and again it was this wry quality that attracted me. (Source)
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The Whitbread (and Wolfson and Yorkshire Post) Prize Winning account of the king whose life spanned the centuries. Grandfather of the present Queen, George V bridged the century from the 'glories' of the Victorian and Edwardian eras through the horrors of the Great War. His life is recounted here drawing on letters and diaries of the Royal family as well as intimates and social observers of the time. As his funeral cortege turned into New Palace Yard the Maltese Cross fell from the Crown and landed in the gutter. 'A most terrible omen' wrote Harold Nicolson. And indeed it was. more The Whitbread (and Wolfson and Yorkshire Post) Prize Winning account of the king whose life spanned the centuries. Grandfather of the present Queen, George V bridged the century from the 'glories' of the Victorian and Edwardian eras through the horrors of the Great War. His life is recounted here drawing on letters and diaries of the Royal family as well as intimates and social observers of the time. As his funeral cortege turned into New Palace Yard the Maltese Cross fell from the Crown and landed in the gutter. 'A most terrible omen' wrote Harold Nicolson. And indeed it was. less Hugo VickersI remember someone saying about his book that there was not a dull word about an essentially very dull monarch, which is a great achievement. And aside from the funny bits there is a lot of it of great merit as well. (Source)
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James Pope-Hennessy | 4.39
As official biographer, the author had access to private papers which helped unfold the moving story of Princess May of Teck's impoverished childhood, her significant reign and her old age as the much admired Queen Dowager; she saw her fiancee, husband and three sons die, and another abdicate before her own death in 1953. more As official biographer, the author had access to private papers which helped unfold the moving story of Princess May of Teck's impoverished childhood, her significant reign and her old age as the much admired Queen Dowager; she saw her fiancee, husband and three sons die, and another abdicate before her own death in 1953. less Hugo VickersYes I do, and one of the reasons is that it is the first royal biography that I ever read. I bought it when I was 13 on 30 January 1965 and I remember that date because it was Churchill’s state funeral. The next day I rather nervously told my parents that I had bought it, expecting to have my head bitten off, because that had happened once before when I expressed an interest in buying a book on... (Source)
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