TELEGRAPH 50 BEST BOOKS OF 2022THE UNTOLD STORY OF PRINCESS DIANA'S STEPMOTHER'A sparkling biography of a fascinating woman'- Lynn Barber,Telegraph 'Gaudoin's book is revealing and hugely entertaining. Highly recommended.'- Daily Mail'Gaudoin tells these delicious stories with brio'- Sunday Times Debutante of the year. Able politician. Femme fatale. Just some of the many labels attached to the irrepressible,controversial Raine Spencer: Countess,socialite and stepmother to Diana,Princess of Wales. But who was the real Raine What was hidden behind the immaculately manicured public faade and her overwhelmingly negative tabloid image From her childhood days as daughter of romantic novelist powerhouse,Barbara Cartland,to Westminster councillor and wife of Earl Spencer,Three Times a Countess recounts Raine's compelling and glamorous life,revealing her to be a powerful,accomplished woman who,after a tumultuous relationship,reconciled with Diana to become the Princess's closest confidante and a key witness at the inquest into her death. To her friends,Raine was shrewd,intelligent,witty and loyal; to her enemies,pushy,overly flamboyant and ruthless. From a career spanning local politics to dealing with the fortunes of Althorp; from taking on the Spencer family estate to her final role as a board member at Harrods,Raine's life was,by any standards,a success . Yet she could not sway the powerful media narrative which pitted her as'the evil stepmother'at every turn.A societal whirl of London Seasons,family feuds,politics,pomp and'big hair',Gaudoin's vibrant history of the Countess sets the record straight once and for all,drawing insight from those who knew Raine most. Three Times a Countess reveals a sophisticated,determined woman whose loyalty knew no bounds and whose cache of secrets would have worried even the most upright of royals.
Publisher: Little,Brown Book GroupISBN: 9780349134833Number of pages: 336Weight: 300 gDimensions: 196 x 126 x 18 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
An excellent book about a difficult,but life-enhancing womanEnthrallingPerceptively examines the life of one of the twentieth century's original "tough,ambitious women"Wonderful. A great friend brought vividly back to life.A sparkling biography of a fascinating woman. Gaudoin's book is revealing and hugely entertaining. Highly recommended.DeliciousThis book is a vindication,both of Raine herself and of a type of person - of woman - whom it became uncool to valueGaudoin elegantly depicts the esoteric life of an aristocratTina Gaudoin sets out to rehabilitate Raine as a far more nuanced woman,an insouciant,sexy survivor uncredited for her many achievements...A colourful life.I lapped up this tale of London seasons,family feuds,politics,big hair and Raine's carpe diem attitude
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