Queen Camilla’s Reading Room has surprised many with the current pick for a book to read, as the volume touches upon a subject that members of the Royal Family are often reluctant to discuss: other Royals.
The book currently picked by Her Majesty is Anne Glenconner’s “Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown”, and recalls the years during which Lady Glenconner was an Extra Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Margaret.
The choice was already surprising in it of itself, given the fact that this was the first book to have a royal theme.
But was was even more surprising to many was a post published by the Queen’s Reading Room’s Instagram account, which, accompanied by two pictures gifted by the author herself, stated that “Neither Lady Glenconner nor Princess Margaret had particularly happy or easy marriages”.
This is surprising because the Royal Family generally doesn’t offer comments about what it views as its members’ personal lives, even less when it comes to the status of their marriages.
The post continues saying: “Mutual support and understanding between the two women was imperative to their survival”. Lady Glenconner, however, remained married to her husband until his passing, which is when she discovered that he had drafted a second, more recent will in which he left everything he owned to an employee.
The book, however, focuses on the years Anne Glenconner spent with Princess Margaret, recalling a lot of anecdotes, but also offering a deep dive into her own life, split between motherhood, her marriage and the many friendships she had.
When recommending the volume, Queen Camilla said of it: “Anne Glenconner tells the story of her life with disarming honesty; revealing her bravery, resilience and grace. An enlightening and emotional account of an extraordinary life”.
The Reading Room was opened when Camilla was still the Duchess of Cornwall, and it periodically recommends books to read, going from classics like Dracula and Pride and Prejudice to historic – there are plenty of suggestions for books that talk about World War II.
