Duchesses

by Jane Dismore

The title of 'duchess' has long been part of Britain's heritage. In 2011, it was brought up to date with the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, when the Queen conferred a number of titles on her grandson, among them Duke of Cambridge. Catherine joined that select group of the highest ranking duchesses, well-known royals whose husbands are dukes as members of the Royal Family. But another group of women sit just one notch down from royalty, at the top of the aristocratic tree with their dukes. These non-royal duchesses enjoy titles that were bestowed by monarchs for centuries but they are a dying it is unlikely that any more non-royal dukedoms will be created. Here, for the first time, ten of Britain's non-royal duchesses speak candidly about their role and their lives in the 21st century, an era when privilege is an unpopular concept. Each duchess also selects her favourite ancestor in the role, providing a colourful gallery from the 17th to the 20th century.

The parallel biographies provide a thought-provoking comparison for what does it mean to be a duchess in the 21st century? The results are often surprising and always fascinating. The title of 'duchess' has long been part of Britain's heritage.

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 4, 2014

Reviews

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read. So very interesting to find out about modern day nobility.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this unique look into the lives of Britain's modern duchesses. Though not all of them chose to participate in the study, the lives of those who did are completely interesting. Each duchess, in turn, chose a predecessor whom they admire and this predecessor is profiled as well. Of course, some duchesses are more familiar than others. But the ones that hardly receive any press coverage lead just as interesting lives as those who are more well-known. I think it would be fun to have this book redone, as some of the duchesses have since died and their predecessors would breathe new life into a book like this.

Well done.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book about some duchesses in the UK, some of whom were in a documentary I had seen before. I felt that the inclusion of a video interview on the app for each duchess would have been more beneficial than having two for certain duchesses and none for most. TI had no idea that the Dukedom of Abercorn held such prestige currently. he Duchess of Argyll seemed the most regular. The Duchess of Leinster seemed to come off slightly... bitter about her situation. I am not sure this was intentional, but a video interview could have helped as some of the quotes simply sounded off. I did not like that the Duchess of Buccleuch did not choose another Duchess of Buccleuch as her predecessor. I understand that the one she chose was very important to the family, but I felt that this almost snubbed the previous Ducheses of Buccleuch and Queensbury. The Duchess of Northumberland was a particular favorite of mine having read some of her works and about her poison garden. The Duchess of Montrose came off as slightly fanatical about her moral club thing. I loved reading about the estates and how they were managed, and found the Duchess of Bedford a breath of fresh air as she was one of the few who dealt with the actual management of the whole estate, not just the house and gardens (which in there own way are also admirable as they provide a steady source of income). As for the previous Duchesses chosen, some were interesting, such as Mary of Bedford, whereas others were quite dull. I wish there were more duchesses within this book, such as Norfolk, Wellington, Sutherland, or Westminster.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read looking at some of the present Duchesses as well as some from the past including the history of the Dukedoms. Very interesting. More information about all of the present Dukedoms would have added further interest.