Lady in Waiting cover art

Lady in Waiting

My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Lady in Waiting

By: Anne Glenconner
Narrated by: Anne Glenconner
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

 'The best royal book by miles . . . funny, gossipy and riveting'
JANE RIDLEY, SPECTATOR

'If your jaw doesn't drop at least three times every chapter, you've not been paying proper attention'
SUNDAY TIMES

The remarkable and resilient life of Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret who was also a Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation.

Anne Glenconner has been close to the Royal Family since childhood. Eldest child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, she was, as a daughter, described as 'the greatest disappointment' by her family as she was unable to inherit. Her childhood home Holkham Hall is one of the grandest estates in England. Bordering Sandringham the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were frequent playmates.

From Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation to Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, Lady Glenconner is a unique witness to royal history, as well as an extraordinary survivor of a generation of aristocratic women trapped without inheritance and burdened with social expectations.

She married the charismatic but highly volatile Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who became the owner of Mustique. Together they turned the island into a paradise for the rich and famous, including Mick Jagger and David Bowie, and it became a favourite retreat for Princess Margaret.

But beneath the glitz and glamour there has also lurked tragedy. On Lord Glenconner's death in 2010 he left his fortune to a former employee. And of their five children, two grown-up sons died, while a third son had to be nursed back from a coma by Anne, after having suffered a near fatal accident.

Anne Glenconner writes with extraordinary wit, generosity and courage and she exposes what life was like in her gilded cage, revealing the role of her great friendship with Princess Margaret, and the freedom she can now finally enjoy in later life. She will appear as a character in the new series of The Crown this autumn.©2019 Anne Glenconner (P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Entertainment & Celebrities Royalty Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Funny Celebrity

Listeners also enjoyed...

 A Haunting at Holkham cover art
Most relevant  
What a lady, what a gal.
Incredible story, funny, heartbreaking and gave a wonderful insight into a world that very few people experience...

Absolutely adored this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An intriguing ride through the life of Anne Glenconnor covering her childhood and interaction with the royal family, her coming of age and marriage to a wealthy, eccentric and unstable husband and tragic and traumatic lives of the eldest three of her five children, interwoven with her life as a lady in waiting to the slightly wild princess Margaret. Sometimes bizarre this is quite eye opening as to how these people lived a life so unlike everyday people, with exteme wealth yet doing odd things like sleeping on floors or living with mother-in-laws, with issues of massive costs of running huge estates and not without their fair share of personal issues. Yet still incredibly human and humble despite the huge privilege they have.
the story jumps around a bit as is chunked into different partsnof her life rather than chronologically, so it lacks continuity at times.

Fascinating insight into aristocratic life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Would highly recommend. Funny, tragic and completely honest - that is how this book comes over. Marvellous woman who has faced so much but 'just got on with it'. An inspiration to women of all ages and especially now.

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This story was fascinating, amusing and tragic. So much better for being read by Lady Glenconner herself. At times I thought she must have been joking about some ridiculous comments and behaviour but I guess she wasn’t. Certainly an insight into how the other half lives! I did enjoy it.

Entertaining

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What an extraordinary life Lady Glenconner has had. I loved her narration, it reminded me of evenings spent listening to my own grandmother’s life experiences.

Beautiful Memoir - 5 Stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the honesty of the book, the wonderful story telling. Fascinating challenges Anne faced. The highs and the lows, handled with Grace, dignity and acceptance. True grit in many ways down to the individual, era and class structure. Well done Anne on many counts! A delightful book and fascinating.

Really interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I absolutely adored listening to this audiobook; it’s both funny, touching and full of great tales. Lady Anne narrates the book herself which gave it a really personal touch. What a life she has had...she’s so full of resilience because she has gone through so much. I really admire her now, knowing what a remarkable life she has lived. Will definitely revisit this again one day.

What an extraordinary life!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
When this book started I had to really work hard to stick with it as Anne Glenconner’s accent and narration is so ‘upper class’ and totally removed from my own humble place in the world ! However, her story ( although one of privilege) is fascinating, extraordinary, full of drama, personal tragedy and extremes! I found it an interesting insight into the lives of the Royals and their surrounding company. I’m glad I saw it through.

Surprisingly engaging

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is an incredibly interesting life of an incredibly strong woman. Listening to her was one of the best books I have listened too. Her strength is second to non. She has more strength in her that I have ever heard. I will listen to this again and again

Absolutely amazing life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I laughed and cried always unexpectedly. Very good read. What a life to have. Several disturbing episodes and fascinating to know that even Royal lives have hard work and sorrow that you wouldn't guess from the outside.

laughed and cried

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews