Manners and Mischief: An A–Z of Royal Tales and Surprising Wisdom from Princess Margaret's Lady in Waiting

by Anne Glenconner

Filled with sparkling anecdotes and tales of living life to the full, featuring previously unseen photographs from Lady Glenconner's personal collection.

Lady Anne Glenconner, Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Margaret and Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation, returns with a rich, sparkling memoir told through an A to Z of her life. From affairs of the heart and Basil's Bar to dinners with the King and the art of entertaining each chapter reveals a vivid moment of joy, mischief or resilience.

Whether offering tips on getting out of the bath with grace, or how to lose at cards with Princess Margaret, she shares wisdom and memory in equal measure. This book is a love letter to a disappearing world and a reminder that life, at any age, should be faced with laughter, a stiff upper lip, and the odd vodka tonic.

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2025

About the author

Anne Veronica (Coke) Tennant, LVO, Baroness Glenconner is a daughter of Thomas W.E. Coke, MVO, GOC, 5th Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth Mary (Yorke) Tennant, Countess of Leicester.

Lady Glenconner served as a maid of honour at the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. She was Extra Lady-in-Waiting to Queen Elizabeth II's sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon from 1971 until the Princess died in 2002.

In 2019, Lady Glenconner’s memoir was published by Hodder & Stoughton. Speaking on her reason for publishing the book, she said: "I was so fed up with people writing such horrible things about Princess Margaret."

Reviews

[Carol S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a charming read if you like her narration. I’ve read several of her books and find her interesting and entertaining. I think it’s fun to hear Lady Ann’s musings and realize she is in her 90’s! The book is very short w brief chapters using the alphabet to cover tips from A-z! Quite charming!

[Jaynie Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy numerous read about an eventful life

[Gerdien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of her more fluffy books, I finished it in one day. But it gives enough of her fascinating life to be interesting. From fluffy "F, flowera, nothing says welcome more than flowers in the bathroom" to more profound: K for kindness, J for jealousy. And some entertaining tidbits about the royal family.

Glenconnor is a member of a very aristocratic family and had to deal with the idiosyncracies of the British aristocracy. She inherited nothing after her father died because she was a daughter, all went to a second cousin. She became lady in wating to a childhood friend, princess Margareth, which meant she had to call her m'am and pack her suitcases.

But she also had to deal with a long marriage in which she was abused, she had to deal the loss of two sons, the almost fatal accident of a third son, and having twin girls, something that was thought of as "common". And when her husband died, it turned out that he had left everyting to his servant.

She never complains, in her own words, she "got on with things" bearing a stiff upper lip
She takes everything in her stride with equanimity, the glamorous and the difficult. Plus, she is aware of her priviledge.
Well... most of the time. She writes that her husband and spent most of his inheritance and that almost nothing was left. Hm, I would not call 25 million almost nothing...

[Rachel N · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read any of Anne Glenconner’s books before but I’ll certainly be changing that now! This was such a fun book, full of so many stories and lessons from a life that’s swung from the highest highs to the lowest lows, and presented in a way that makes you feel like you’re sitting with her in her beloved garden, vodka tonic in hand, having a fabulous gossipy chat. There were so many great anecdotes, from the late Queen’s collection of rubber ducks in crowns to inadvertently uncovering a gang smuggling drugs into Britain, and so many lines that made me laugh out loud: “Following a capsize at sea when I was eighty, I have retired from sailing” or “What I really love is big pants”.

For any fans of the Royal Family or the kind of lifestyles we associate with Downton Abbey, this is a brilliant read about a woman who has certainly lived life and it had me hooked from start to finish. Wonderful!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

[WhatFrizRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of Lady Glenconner's musings, thoughts and experiences. Whilst largely charming and an easy read, it has a little of of the air bygone days which varied in interest. I think this book may be of more interest to slightly older readers or those with an intense interest in nobility.

[Sophie Odenthal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book of anecdotes and insights into a world that no longer really exists. I read it in one sitting on a day between Christmas and New Year - it's a book that feels like sitting and having a cup of tea and a chat with Lady Glenconner. Perfect reading for a holiday brain break.

[Emma Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read

[Loraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much ado about nothing