Waterstones The Final Curtsey
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Price: £9.99
Brand: Waterstones
Description: This is the intimate and revealing autobiography of the late Margaret Rhodes, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and the niece of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Margaret was born into the Scottish aristocracy, into a now almost vanished world of privilege. Royalty often came to stay and her house was run in the style of Downton Abbey. In the Second World War years she 'lodged' at Buckingham Palace while she worked for MI5. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. Three years later the King and Queen attended her own wedding; Princess Margaret was a bridesmaid. In 1990 she was appointed as a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen Mother, acting also as her companion, which she describes in touching detail. In the early months of 2002, she spent as much time as possible with her ailing aunt, and was at her bedside when she died at Easter that year. The next morning she went to Queen Elizabeth's bedroom to pray, and in farewell dropped her a final curtsey. Waterstones The Final Curtsey - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: Waterstones
Product ID: 9781780270852
Delivery cost: 2.99
ISBN: 9781780270852
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Author: Zazzy
Rating: 5
Review: In the context of the loss of our late Queen this book contains fascinating insights to the family life both of the writer and the Royal family. Always discreet , the writer takes us back to the middle of the last century. She was a niece of the late Queen mother whose ability to charm was legendary but equally had an iron fist within her velvet glove. I have not yet completed it but she takes us on her adventures with her husband in the Himalayas into countries now almost mysterious to us, with hair raising trips trying to escape the predations of those involved in the latest insurrection. All borne with courage and equanimity: characteristics often found in that generation An interesting trip back into history
Author: The Cats Mother
Rating: 2
Review: Mildly interesting - but not interesting enough. I am not sure why Margaret Rhodes bothered to write this - there is nothing terribly interesting or original in its pages and the timelines wander about all over the place . I am on a page , and her husband dies , then , on the next page, he is alive again . If people choose to reminisce then please do so in a proper and orderly timeline. And what , pray, is a Tsarina ? The correct term for a wife of a Tsar is a Tsaritsa - I am mildly shocked that a close family member of the Queen ( or is that perhaps , The Quoon ?) , does not know the correct nomenclature for the wife of a Tsar ! I am a Royalist to my very core but this book gave me little insight into the lives and times of the Princesses and their Cousin , growing up in wartime . It was , as if, the writer wanted to get her memories down on paper for the sake of her close family but had also been effectively gagged from saying too much about her royal cousins and her late aunt . On page 92 it made them all look like "cracking asses" when they made some feeble joke- which was not funny and wholly inappropriate , at the expense of a dead cowman and his family who , quite maddeningly , died at a time inconvenient to the people at the big house , who then found it all hilariously funny . Is death funny ? Did we laugh when the Kings brother died ? And , if as suggested , the QM , had she been there, would she have found it equally hysterical , as suggested by Margaret Rhodes ? If so , it paints the senior royals in a very bad light indeed . Sorry, but this book does nothing but strengthen the case for Republicans - the Royals unfortunately , will insist on having these "hangers on " that may eventually bring down the monarchy . So, apart from making money by selling this dull little tome - what purpose did it serve ? Either Margaret Rhodes knows absolutely nothing of any consequence about the Royals , or she knows too much and is not saying !! Also, I will never get my head around the wholesale slaughter of wildlife , whether in this country , Scotland , Africa or India - it's not big and not clever so the photograph of Maragaret Rhodes managing to shoot two Thompson's Gazelles with one bullet left me feeling rather sick. It's one thing culling deer in Scotland , quite another admitting to enjoying it - some days have gone forever and I am rather glad that these " enjoyable pastimes" are all rather frowned upon . And for a royal " memoir" why are we being treated to the nonsensical ramblings of a non Royal personage and her adventures ( which surely put the lives of others at great risk) in Kenya and Bhutan ? They are interesting only to her own family and in the re- telling to people who have not been privileged to have been given a rather nice grace and favour residence in Windsor Great Park when I am fairly sure Mrs Rhodes could well afford a house of her own or at least one of her four children could provide for her . I am sure many would see her as a remarkable woman who has lived a remarkable life - I am sure my life would have been equally remarkable had I had the privilege of being born, if not into royalty, then into an aristocratic family . No mention of her two cousins, Katherine and Nerissa Bowes Lyon - too embarrassing perhaps ? And the QM , was by all accounts , an absolute monster - as for the part where the QM 's Christmas Cards were found in the bath at the Duke of Windsor's French home , perhaps he aimed them at the lavatory and missed ?
