Finally a proper biography of the late Princess Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. Yorkshire-resident Elisabeth Basford is the author of Princess Mary, The First Modern Princess, well-researched and sympathetic biography of the Princess, who spent most of her married life in Yorkshire, first as the wife, then widow of Henry, 6th Earl of Harewood, raising two sons, and undertaking numerous engagements in the United Kingdom and abroad.
Mary was the least known of George V's kids. This lack of attention has led to "rumour and gossip about Mary's life. The Downtown Abbey movie perpetuated the false story that Lord Harewood was a "cold and detached man." Basford dispatches this and other canards about Mary's life to the ash heap of erroneous information.
This biography offers readers new insight into Mary's life. Duty and public service to the Crown were paramount but Mary, who was created Princess Royal in 1931, also threw herself into the Yorkshire community after her marriage. Yorkshire considered Mary as their princess as Basford writes: "Mary's presence in the region was vital to people's perceptions of the royal family."
She was a strong supporter of the Girl Guides and girls' education.
Elisabeth Basford has done a lot of research, delving into correspondence in private collections and the local press. I am sure there must be more information to be mined and I hope the present Lord Harewood will open the family archives to historians and biographers. I would love to see further additions to this biography.
Princess Mary lived largely under the radar as a member of the royal family although the same could not be said for her two sons, George, 7th Earl of Harewood, and his younger brother, the Hon. Gerald Lascelles, both of whom fathered children out of wedlock and later married the mothers. But unlike Mary, Lord Harewood and Gerald Lascelles were not members of the Royal family, albeit the Queen's first cousins.
Mary spent the last weeks of her life, representing the Crown. Her last official engagement was representing the Queen at the funeral of Queen Louise of Sweden on March 13, 1965. After her return to London, Mary visited her brother David, who was in the hospital recovering from eye surgery. She had remained in contact with her older brother, although she never accepted his decision to put love before his responsibilities and duties as king.
She did have heart issues, but Mary enjoyed walking 2 miles every day when she was at Harewood. On March 28, 1965, Mary spent some time with four of her grandsons, all on Easter break. The author writes "all the grandchildren," but this was incorrect as the princess did not know about her youngest grandsons, Martin, 3, and Mark, then eight months old, the illegitimate sons of Gerald and George.
The four boys and Lord Harewood joined Mary for a stroll. She tripped and fell and George helped her to a nearby bench, Mary died in her son's arms 15 minutes later.
Elisabeth Basford has written a competent and very readable biography of King George V's only daughter. Princess Mary has ceased to be the distant and shy princess, but a woman of strong views and convictions, a princess who found her place in Yorkshire, where she could shine -- without a lot of fuss.
Yorkshire had become her home where she was able to live a life, away from the hustle and bustle of London. Mary was said to be shy and reserved, but she never shied away from serving the Crown.
Princess Mary The First Modern Princess is highly recommended.
