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I am very happy to announce that my new biography of Princess Alice - Alice, The Enigma - is now available on Kindle, and also in paperback. The paperback and Kindle versions have different covers but the text is the same.
This is not a great tome of a work but I found immense satisfaction in writing and researching it, not least because it reinforced my conviction that, despite the criticism heaped on Queen Victoria and Prince Albert nowadays, it is clear that they did their utmost to create a very happy childhood for their children. It was also my intention to delve a little into the many contradictions in Alice's character in an attempt to understand her motivation and her fascinating personality, which was quite different from the many portrayals of her as a rather gloomy and somewhat frail person. Alice was truly a very profound being and I hope that those who read the book will find as much pleasure in it as I found in writing it.
November always seemed to be a miserable month with the nights drawing in so quickly, the cold and rain and all the gloom of poppies and memorials. One of the many happy discoveries that comes from having a dog is the need to venture out to trudge through mud and rain every day...and some days just take you by surprise and fill you with awe, as happened on my walk with Bertie today. November can be very beautiful and happy after all!
Nowadays we look back in horror at the terrible treatment of children in
factories, sweat shops and mines in the Victorian era and wonder how people
could have tolerated such abuse. The advent of education for all children was,
in part, intended to correct that awful maltreatment and to ensure children had
an opportunity to develop their talents. ‘Education’ – obviously from the
Latin ‘to lead out’ or ‘bring out’ – means to draw forth and develop whatever
gifts and talents we have inside. My own education was, I believe, based on that
ideal and I am eternally grateful to my Grammar School teachers and the gentle
atmosphere of the wonderful school I attended (and, incidentally, where I also
had the good fortune to teach for a while).
Although I am no longer involved in that area, I listen to education
ministers and see what is happening in schools and I am appalled! Where is the
‘drawing out’ of talents when so much depends on forcing things into children’s
minds, and there is so little time for them to develop their personal
abilities? There might not be slave-labour in sweat shops in England, but isn’t
there an even greater abuse in crushing children’s minds and individuality? Now,
records are kept – not only by schools but by government departments, I believe – of every
single child’s progress in certain areas...why??? Are children commodities of
the state? If I were still a child in school, I would consider it an invasion of
privacy for some unknown person to have records of my judged abilities in various
subjects, while having no idea who I am or what I believe or where my talents
lie! Repeatedly, we hear the phrases ‘our children’ and ‘what we must do for
‘our’ children’ and I cannot help thinking, “They are not my children
or our children and they are certainly not the state’s children!”
Recently, someone put forward the ridiculous suggestion that children
should start school at the age of two! It is interesting to look at the
education of one of the most brilliant men ever to have graced these shores –
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg. He was placed under the care of a tutor before he
was 5 years old, but his tutor recognised the importance of play and fun and
exploration, and so the prince’s education up to the age of six was simply play,
stories and picture books. At six, he had lessons for one hour a day. From seven
to nine-years-old, he had lessons for three hours a day, and not until he was
nine did he have five hours of lessons a day...and he turned out to be one of
the best educated men imaginable!
I think some ministers ought to read Francis Thompson’s wonderful
description of childhood: “Know you what it is to be a child? It is to be
something very different from the man of today. It is to have a spirit yet
streaming from the waters of baptism; it is to believe in love, to believe in
loveliness, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach
to whisper in your ear; it is to turn pumpkins into coaches, and mice into
horses, lowness into loftiness, and nothing into everything, for each child has
its fairy godmother in its soul...”
Meanwhile, though this is a puppy and not a child, here is a very, very
wobbly expression of the joy of childhood/puppyhood (and it is impossible to
hold a camera straight, while holding a lead on a Bichon in the midst of the
famous ‘Bichon Buzz’ so please forgive the terrible quality!):
Today is my puppy's first birthday. He went to the groomer's after rolling in fox poo, which he seemed mightily pleased about...far more than I was! He also received a new coat, a rice bone and a goody bag of various toys. He has spent every evening for the past week hiding under a chair or a table, terrified by the firework explosion so I am trusting that tonight he will just relax and enjoy his presents!!
Happy Birthday, Bertie!
...Alas, Bonfire Night has turned into Bonfire Week and Bertie has, once more, been cowering under a chair. Why do they make such very loud fireworks? And why do they make fireworks which leave plastic cylinders all over the place, and which are harmful not only to puppies but to wildlife in general?
Princess Alice has always intrigued me, not least for the contradictions in her character. This fascinating woman has often been presented as little more than a footnote in history - merely a daughter of Queen Victoria or the mother of Tsarina Alexandra. A dedicated
philanthropist, who devoted herself to the service of the poor, she was simultaneously
attracted to beautiful jewellery and earned her mother’s censure for her love
of ‘fine society’. Unorthodox, yet profoundly spiritual, she, who wrote of her
resignation to the will of God in the most heartrending circumstances, was
accused by the Prussian Queen of atheism, and was not ashamed to be associated
with one the most controversial theologians of the age. She loved her children
deeply and was devoted to her husband, yet her marriage became increasingly unsatisfying
and, as she told the Queen, being a wife and mother did not come naturally to
her. Unconventional
and unafraid of involving herself in taboo causes, she was ever conscious of the
privileges and responsibilities of her royal status; and, while inspiring
devotion in the people whom she selflessly served, she was criticised, too, by
those closest to her for her outspokenness and inability to endure a lack of
commitment in others.
daughter of Queen Victoria or the mother of the Tsarina - and, due, perhaps, to her early death and the bereavements and losses she endured, she is often seen as a rather sombre character, somewhat sickly and rather dour. In fact, the opposite is true - she was renowned for her cheerfulness and sense of humour, and, far from the ascetic persona that has often attributed to her, she was a passionate aesthete and deeply emotional person. What is most intriguing, however, is the way that Alice demonstrates that the endless criticism of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert's parenting, is utter nonsense. The greatest tragedy of Alice's life was not, in my opinion, the bereavements she suffered or her own early death, but that fact that her childhood was so blissful and idyllic that nothing that came afterwards could ever match it. In my forthcoming biography, Alice - The Enigma, I hope to have captured a little of her essence and have sought to delve into that enigma in the hope of gaining a greater understanding of such an interesting person.
Coming soon – Alice, The Enigma - a new biography of Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse.
Over the next few days, more information about the inspiration for the book and
my purpose in writing it will be available.
Happy Birthday, Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia, who was born on All
Saints Day 1864 and named after her ancestor St Elizabeth of Hungary. The lives
of the two Elizabeths were to bear a remarkable similarity. Both were princesses
who lived through turbulent times and, following the deaths of their husbands,
sold all they had to care for the poor. Both became saints.
The earlier Saint Elizabeth said:
“I want to be able to say You were hungry and I gave you food; thirsty
and I gave you drink; naked and I clothed you; sick and I came to you; in prison
and I visited you...”
The sentiment was echoed by Grand Duchess Elizabeth.
This blog has been a little abandoned for a time due to various circumstances - including a change of computer programmes, which made it difficult for me to sign in! I am happy to say it is now back up and running and also happy to announce that "Queen Victoria's Granddaughters 1860-1918"is, as from today, available in paperback.
As many readers requested pictures in the book, these have been included in the paperback version.
The Kindle version of the book has also been updated and re-edited with a 'clickable' contents page.
I am equally happy to announce that my biography of Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, will also be released shortly in Kindle format, to be followed by a paperback version soon afterwards.
In the meantime, while this blog has been inactive, I have been carrying out research for a new biography of Prince Albert, and, the more I have discovered, the more obvious it is that the myths about his megalomania and lack of kindness to his children (and Queen Victoria's!) is utter nonsense. It is fascinating that witnesses who actually knew the Queen and Prince Consort, were frequently impressed by the affection shown to the royal children, and the warmth within the family.
It seems clear that the myth of their unkindness stems primarily from their treatment of 'Bertie', the Prince of Wales. Queen Victoria's reluctance to allow him to participate in affairs of state is seen as the reason why he adopted such a sybaritic lifestyle while he was Prince of Wales, because he had nothing worthwhile to do. It is obvious, however, that he did nothing to 'earn' the trust, which the Queen might have placed in him. When the Queen and Prince Albert were first married, the Queen did not allow Albert to participate in her work, but, rather than wallowing in self-pity or wasting his time, he worked on improving the running of the palaces and learning all he could about the British political system. Within a short time, he was participating fully in the Queen's duties. Perhaps, if Bertie had had more about him, he, too, could have earned the Queen's trust, and the myth of her supposed 'cruelty' would not have been handed down through the generations!
As someone who firmly believes that Kaiser Wilhelm has been shockingly defamed by many historians, I was delighted to come across this rather touching story today:
In that dreadful war where atrocities were committed by both sides, it is good to remember that 'history is written by the victors', and the Germans frequently showed more humanity than the British (and I write this as someone who is proud to be English!).
Researching my forthcoming biography of Princess Alice, I came across some
interesting and rather sad accounts of the ‘Laying-In Hospitals’, ostensibly
founded to combat the high infant mortality rates and deaths in childbirth in
the 19th century. In fact, many of these places were founded to enable medics to
further their research into obstetrics and particularly to practise using
forceps, using their patients as guinea pigs. Unfortunately but
unsurprisingly, due to their unhygienic practices, puerperal fever spread
rapidly and the number of women dying in childbirth significantly increased with
the founding of laying-in hospitals, while mothers who remained at home to give
birth, rarely contracted the fever, which had throughout the ages killed off so
many wealthy women who could afford medical treatment that it had become known
as ‘the doctors’ plague’.
In the late 1920s my grandmother contracted puerperal fever and, as she lay
in her hospital bed, she heard the doctors at the other side of the
curtains discussing her treatment. Somehow the infection had affected her legs
and the doctors decided that the only solution was a double amputation, which,
naturally came as a terrible shock to my grandmother. Being a woman of some
spirit, she refused to accept this solution and, as soon as the doctors
had gone, she jumped out of bed and ran home! The illness was horrific.
All her hair fell out and her life was seriously in danger until a wise old
neighbour with no medical training whatsoever told her to eat nothing
but carrots and apples – which is exactly what she did for several weeks (or
possibly months). “Bags full of apples and carrots!” she said. Her hair grew
back more beautifully than ever, and she lived for a further seventy years
(dying at the age of 98) walking about quite happily on both legs and relieved
that she hadn’t accepted the advice of the doctors.
Very recently, I heard of a woman who refused all medical treatment for
breast cancer but cured herself completely by avoiding dairy and eating carrots
and apples. Chopping off body parts or zapping with dangerous chemicals might be
one way to deal with health issues but perhaps it is worth remembering that
there might also be far simpler and more effective and gentle solutions to many
of the conditions that afflict so many people today. Nature is filled with
antidotes, just as dock leaves grow next to nettles (but these natural antidotes provide little
profit for pharmaceutical companies, which thrive on illness, unless, of course, they intervene by
genetically modifying crops), and, in the overall scheme of things, it seems the natural world is designed to help us to thrive...
To celebrate the launch of of Wonderful Walter series in paperback, we have made Kindle versions of the first book: Wonderful Walter available for free this weekend. Do, please help yourselves and, if you enjoy the story, do please write a review or send us your feedback here.
I am very happy to announce that our children's book Wonderful Walter is now available in paperback via Amazon in the UK and Europe as well as in the United States. The book is aimed at 7-11 year-olds and has been read by education professionals and others who work with children, all of whom have commented on its appeal and value for children in that age group.
Making slow progress on our own, Bertie and I joined an excellent puppy
class. Here, we can learn how to work together on things like walking, stopping,
meeting other dogs, meeting people...and general obedience. Week 1 – Bertie
loved it, particularly because the trainer had a different kind of treats than
his usual ones, and because he had a chance to play with other puppies. The
first thing he learned was how to bark at another dog! Strangely, prior to puppy
class, Bertie had only barked once or twice and that was at his toys. Now he can
do a very loud bark, which is rather odd coming from a little dog.
Week 2 – Five minutes into the lesson, Bertie was no longer
interested. They say dogs are like their owners (or vice versa)...I have been
told that I enjoyed my first day at school (aged 4) but when woken to go the
next day, said, “I’ve been there and know what they do. I don’t need to go
anymore.” Hmm...Bertie obviously had the same idea. Suddenly every blade of
grass was more interesting than our ‘exercises’, and even the other puppies lost
their appeal.
Week 3 – Bertie didn’t want to get up and go. It took so much cajoling,
coaxing, commanding to even get him into the car and when we arrived at puppy
class, he spent most of it sitting with his back to the rest of the class.
Week 4 – Enough is enough, thought Bertie, who promptly ran away from puppy
class altogether! Eventually, after a huge amount of catching and tugging (how
can a small dog be so strong?) he ‘agreed’ to return but only to the advanced
class where the dogs were perfectly behaved and followed the most minute
instructions instantly. Clearly, because he has already devoured ‘A Tale of Two
Cities’, a biography of George IV, ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ and two poetry
books from my bookshelf, he considers himself to be far too clever for the
reception class! Once in the advanced class, he jumped around a bit, getting in
the way of the advanced dogs, before wandering off in the opposite direction,
and generally disturbing the class, while the other obedient dogs merely looked
at him in disdain.
Oh well, at least he didn’t bite the trainer, like one dog I heard about
did!
Tomorrow we will start again...and I am trusting that, just as Samson lost his strength when he had his hair cut, Bertie has lost just a little of his wilfulness with his hair new cut...
It might be a vain hope now, but Yorkshire Day is a good time to remember that Richard III was made very welcome here and did a great deal of good for the people of this county, which he loved:
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