Heirs and Graces: A History of the Modern British Aristocracy

by 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 Heirs and Graces 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. She looks at key rites of passage, from cradle, via boarding school to grave. And she tells stories of their ups and downs, and of the doings of the heroes and villains who fill their ranks.

The result is a wonderfully rich, often amusing, always revealing account of the fortunes of the aristocracy over the past century and a series of fascinating glimpses into what it is like to be an aristocrat in Britain today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature

641 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2025

Reviews

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Emma Dargue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good look at how the modern aristocracy has had to evolve from Victorian times to the present day highlighting a lot of issues that have blighted different iterations of the aristocrats.

[Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleanor Doughty’s Heirs and Graces is an ambitious, meticulously researched exploration of the British aristocracy since the Second World War. With over 650 pages of narrative, this book moves beyond mere genealogy to offer a panoramic view of a class that continues to fascinate — and frustrate — modern Britain. 

Doughty, a journalist with deep experience covering titled families for British newspapers, brings both enthusiasm and expertise to her subject. Drawing on interviews, estate visits, visitors’ books, and archival detail, she weaves together portraits of dukes, earls, baronets and their heirs, illuminating how tradition, privilege, wealth and identity intersect in a world that most readers will never inhabit. 

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its breadth: from ancestral manor houses to the economics of maintaining them; from the rites of aristocratic schooling and primogeniture to the very personal stories of inheritance disputes, marriages, and eccentric customs. Doughty shows how an aristocracy once defined by inherited wealth and political power has adapted into a more complex social class — one that includes financiers and farmers as well as idle landowners — yet still clings to its peculiar rites and hierarchies. 

Critically, the book has been praised for its depth of research and engaging anecdotal detail. Commentators from the Financial Times and figures such as Julian Fellowes (creator of Downton Abbey) commend its vivid and revealing account of aristocratic life. Doughty’s narrative often elicits amusement and surprise, especially in her portrayal of how titled individuals see themselves and the world around them. 

However, not all readers find the book entirely successful. Some critics argue that the sheer volume of names, nicknames and lineage minutiae can weigh the narrative down, making it harder for a general reader to stay engaged with the human stories beneath the pedantry. According to one reviewer, the abundance of dynastic detail sometimes overshadows the emotional or thematic threads that might make the book more universally compelling. 

Despite this, Heirs and Graces remains a fascinating and authoritative survey of a social class that, while diminished in formal power, still captures public imagination and cultural intrigue. Doughty neither romanticises nor lambasts her subjects; instead, she presents their world with a clear-eyed curiosity that invites readers to question what hereditary privilege means in a supposedly meritocratic age. 

Overall, Heirs and Graces is an essential read for anyone interested in British social history, class identity, and the enduring allure (and oddities) of the aristocracy — even if its scholarly density may be challenging for some. 

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though published this year, I would have liked an update already, specifically for the author’s view of the Hertfords and the court cases between the Marquess and his son over Ragley Hall. All she says is ‘the relationship between the generations has broken down’.
Some of it was interesting, particularly Part 3 about their lives, but there was too much about Eton.

[Robert J]

I am waiting to read it , but currently not yet published .
I have not been invited to review it .

[Dirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written , excellent research, fascinating and riveting

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and enjoyable.