Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess
'At last a biography of Princess Mary, the Queen’s aunt – and a good one ... She has long deserved a full study and in Elisabeth Basford, she has found a dedicated and sympathetic biographer, who has done her full justice' - Hugo Vickers.

Princess Diana is seen as the first member of the British royal family to tear up the rulebook, and the Duchess of Cambridge is modernising the monarchy in strides. But before them was another who paved the way. 

She was one of the hardest-working members of the royal family, known for her no-nonsense approach and her determination in the face of adversity. During the First World War she came into her own, launching an appeal to furnish every British troop and sailor with a Christmas gift, and training as a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Princess Mary was born in 1897.

Despite her Victorian beginnings, she strove to make a princess’s life meaningful, using her position to help those less fortunate and defying gender conventions in the process. As the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, she would live to see not only two of her brothers ascend the throne but also her niece Queen Elizabeth II. 

From her dedication to the war effort, to her role as the family peacemaker during the Abdication Crisis, Mary was the princess who redefined the title for the modern age. In the first biography in decades, Elisabeth Basford offers a fresh appraisal of Mary’s full and fascinating life.

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Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess
'At last a biography of Princess Mary, the Queen’s aunt – and a good one ... She has long deserved a full study and in Elisabeth Basford, she has found a dedicated and sympathetic biographer, who has done her full justice' - Hugo Vickers.

Princess Diana is seen as the first member of the British royal family to tear up the rulebook, and the Duchess of Cambridge is modernising the monarchy in strides. But before them was another who paved the way. 

She was one of the hardest-working members of the royal family, known for her no-nonsense approach and her determination in the face of adversity. During the First World War she came into her own, launching an appeal to furnish every British troop and sailor with a Christmas gift, and training as a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Princess Mary was born in 1897.

Despite her Victorian beginnings, she strove to make a princess’s life meaningful, using her position to help those less fortunate and defying gender conventions in the process. As the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, she would live to see not only two of her brothers ascend the throne but also her niece Queen Elizabeth II. 

From her dedication to the war effort, to her role as the family peacemaker during the Abdication Crisis, Mary was the princess who redefined the title for the modern age. In the first biography in decades, Elisabeth Basford offers a fresh appraisal of Mary’s full and fascinating life.

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Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess

Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess

Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess

Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess

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$38.99 
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Overview

'At last a biography of Princess Mary, the Queen’s aunt – and a good one ... She has long deserved a full study and in Elisabeth Basford, she has found a dedicated and sympathetic biographer, who has done her full justice' - Hugo Vickers.

Princess Diana is seen as the first member of the British royal family to tear up the rulebook, and the Duchess of Cambridge is modernising the monarchy in strides. But before them was another who paved the way. 

She was one of the hardest-working members of the royal family, known for her no-nonsense approach and her determination in the face of adversity. During the First World War she came into her own, launching an appeal to furnish every British troop and sailor with a Christmas gift, and training as a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Princess Mary was born in 1897.

Despite her Victorian beginnings, she strove to make a princess’s life meaningful, using her position to help those less fortunate and defying gender conventions in the process. As the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, she would live to see not only two of her brothers ascend the throne but also her niece Queen Elizabeth II. 

From her dedication to the war effort, to her role as the family peacemaker during the Abdication Crisis, Mary was the princess who redefined the title for the modern age. In the first biography in decades, Elisabeth Basford offers a fresh appraisal of Mary’s full and fascinating life.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780750992619
Publisher: The History Press
Publication date: 11/01/2021
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

ELISABETH BASFORD is a writer based in South Yorkshire. She has twenty-five years’ experience as a teacher and examiner, and has written for magazines and online publications including Majesty, Red and Goldie. She writes about history, education, the arts, culture and lifestyle on her popular blog Write on Ejaleigh!

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Foreword 11

Preface 13

1 The Birth of a Princess 17

2 Childhood and Education 27

3 Death of Edward VII and Accession of George V 39

4 The First World War 47

5 Nursing 58

6 The Royal Scots Guards and Other Charitable Patronages 66

7 The Girl Guides 73

8 Harry 80

9 Wedding 95

10 Honeymoon and Early Married Life 103

11 Royal Family Life 113

12 Harewood 130

13 The Death of George V 161

14 The Abdication Crisis 170

15 The Outbreak of the Second World War 184

16 War Work 190

17 Prisoner of War 198

18 Death of Harry 203

19 George and Gerald 213

20 Chancellor 220

21 The Deaths of George VI and Queen Mary 228

22 A Family Affair 240

23 Later Years 246

24 Legacy: A Purposeful Life 260

Notes and Sources 267

Index 282

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