Lady Anne Glenconner is on a blitz of American media to promote her second memoir, Whatever Next? Lady Anne is 90 years old and kind of a publishing phenomenon – her first memoir was a massive success. She spoke to People Magazine this week, and she also chatted with the Daily Beast’s Royalist column. Lady Anne was Princess Margaret’s longtime lady-in-waiting and friend, and seeing Margaret up close for so long has given her certain ideas about how spares should behave, meaning… she does not think much of Prince Harry’s move to America, nor does she think much about Harry telling his story. Some highlights from her Royalist interview:
Her abusive marriage: “I sort of hinted at the domestic abuse in the first book but I felt I really had to talk about it in this book properly. It was the right time to write about it, partly because of the queen consort, Camilla, who is doing so much to highlight the dangers of domestic abuse. I had so many letters from people saying that they had been through these difficult times as well, and I thought it may help people. At the end of the book, I’ve got 24 addresses for domestic abuse charities and help organizations, so if people are in trouble they can get help.”
Divorcing her abusive husband wasn’t an option: “Look, I want to say this: I really don’t recommend putting up with it, but, yes, I did. In a way it was easier for me because he spent a lot of time in the West Indies. But ultimately it was how my generation did things. My generation wasn’t brought up to divorce. My mother was wonderful but she was quite strict. She used to say to me, ‘You’ve made your bed and you have to lie in it.’ She brought me up to carry on, to try and cope and to have a stiff upper lip.”
Her late husband: “He was often a wonderful companion, a beloved father. He was also an incredibly selfish, damaged, and occasionally dangerous man… I lived with domestic violence and abuse for most of my marriage.”
Whether she’ll be invited to the Chubbly: “I’d love to be, of course, but I don’t think I will be as it’s so much smaller. Even the peers are having to ballot for a seat. If I’m honest I would be absolutely thrilled to be invited, but if I’m not I can watch it on television and probably get a better view!”
She still has dinner with Charles at Sandringham sometimes: “Yes, I’ve known him since he was a little boy because my mother was a lady-in-waiting and he used to come up and stay at our house in Holcombe [Norfolk]. My mother taught him to drive around the estate and my father taught him to shoot. I’ve always known him. I’m a great fan of King Charles. I think he’s going to be a great king. He is so passionate about so many things like climate change, and he’s so interested in young people and such a great supporter of young people through his Prince’s Trust charity.”
Whether the Sussexes will be welcome at the coronation: “I really don’t know. Charles would probably like them to come but I just don’t know. I don’t particularly like talking about Harry and Meghan, but the interesting thing is that of course I knew and was with another “spare,” Princess Margaret. I never heard her criticize the queen in any way. She was so loyal to her sister. The only thing she did say was that she wished she’d been better educated. The queen had tutors who came in from Oxford and Cambridge to teach her, but all Margaret ever had was a governess and I think that did annoy her. She did gripe about it a bit, but other than that she was completely loyal.
Margaret didn’t have her own house: “And the queen had everything! Margaret didn’t even have her own house in England. The only house she ever actually owned herself was the one that we helped to build on Mustique. But I never heard her complaining about anything. It seems to be a sort of new thing that people are always victims. But the thing is, for our generation, Princess Margaret and I, we lived through the war. It was extremely frightening. We were bombed, she was bombed at Windsor, I was bombed at school, we slept in cellars, food was rationed, we lost lots and lots of people. Many friends lost their brothers or parents in the war. Life now seems wonderful in comparison—and my heart goes out to the people in Ukraine or other war zones who are going through all of this all over again.”
Queen Camilla getting rid of the role of lady-in-waiting: Does Lady Glenconner feel a tinge of sadness at their demise? “Well, I do actually, because we were very useful. We were the eyes and ears.”
I think Lady Anne’s mindset about her abusive marriage is very relevant to how she views the Windsors, specifically Harry and Meghan. Harry and Meghan were victims of abuse as well – William physically assaulted Harry, and the Sussexes were emotionally and financially abused. Lady Anne definitely seems to feel that people in abusive situations simply need to… stay with their abusers and not even try to break those cycles of abuse.
Also, the more I think about Camilla doing away with ladies-in-waiting, the more I believe that Camilla thinks she doesn’t need a bunch of senior ladies to be her “eyes and ears.” Don’t get me wrong, I think Camilla is friendly with all of those older aristocratic women, but Camilla has her own “eyes and ears” – her connections in the British tabloid media.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Instar, ‘Graham Norton’.
- USA Rights Only – London, UK -20180619-Royals Attending Royal Ascot Day at Ascot Racecourse -PICTURED: Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Prince Charles and Prince Harry -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com -37087480.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded
- USA Rights Only – London, UK -20190608- The Royal family enjoy a day out as they participate in the Trooping the Colour ceremony, taking place at Horse Guards Parade, as they Queen celebrates her official birthday. -PICTURED: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Dominic Lipinski/PA Images/INSTARimages.com -43392459.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded
- The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Sussex, listen as the Duke of Sussex speaks during a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London, which the newly weds are attending as their first royal engagement as a married couple. The event is part of the celebrations to mark the70th birthday of the Prince of Wales.,Image: 515265168, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- USA Rights Only – London, UK -20191107- Anne Glenconner, Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter, Graham Norton, Chadwick Boseman, Richard Ayoade and Niall Horan during the filming for the Graham Norton Show at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, to be aired on BBC One on Friday evening. -PICTURED: Lady Anne Glenconner -PHOTO by: Isabel Infantes/PA Images/INSTARimages.com -48172494.jpg This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Lady Anne Glenconner Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 07 Nov 2019 Credit: Isabel Infantes/PA Images/INSTARimages.com **USA Rights Only**
- Camilla Queen Consort Hosts Reception At Buckingham Palace Sophie Countess of Wessex, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, the Queen Consort, Queen Rania of Jordan and Danish Crown Princess Mary during a reception at Buckingham Palace, London, to raise awareness of violence against women and girls as part of the UN 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 29 Nov 2022 Credit: Kin Cheung/PA Images/ Images **North America Rights Only**
- Camilla Queen Consort Hosts Reception At Buckingham Palace Sophie Countess of Wessex, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, the Queen Consort, Queen Rania of Jordan and Danish Crown Princess Mary during a reception at Buckingham Palace, London, to raise awareness of violence against women and girls as part of the UN 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 29 Nov 2022 Credit: Kin Cheung/PA Images/ Images **North America Rights Only**
- The Duchess of Cornwall (left) the Duchess of Sussex during a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London which she is attending as her first royal engagement after being married. The event is part of the celebrations to mark the70th birthday of the Prince of Wales.
