Heirs and Graces

Eleanor Doughty

There are fewer than 5000 people who can genuinely claim to be members of the British aristocracy, and yet they loom large in the popular consciousness. We're fascinated by their houses and estates, their lives and loves, their foibles and eccentricities. And we entertain the strong suspicion that, while they may be fellow citizens, they are very far from being People Like Us. In this book, Eleanor Doughty draws on her unparalleled access to a bewildering range of dukes, duchesses, earls and others to create a vivid picture of who they are and how they tick. En route she traces their progress from a post-war era when they and their like were described by one future Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer as 'selfish, depraved, dissolute and decadent' to their diverse current roles as guardians of vast ancestral mansions, farmers, financiers and much else beside.

Author(s): Doughty, Eleanor
Binding: Hardback
Date of Publication: 04/09/2025
Pagination: 576 pages
Series: N/A
Imprint: Hutchinson Heinemann
Published By: Hutchinson Heinemann
Book Classification: European history|Social & cultural history|Social classes|Social & cultural anthropology
Dimensions: 240x161x57
Weight: 951
ISBN13\EAN\SKU: 9781529153040