After more than 15 years of research, Frances Dimond's biography, Queen Alexandra Loyalty and Love will be published on February 22, 2022, by History and Heritage Publishing.
"By kind permission of Her Majesty The Queen, this book has been based on extensive research over many years in the Royal Archives and elsewhere. The author was the first official Curator of the Royal Photograph Collection.
Queen Alexandra was a private person who destroyed or left instructions to destroy, much of her archive, but nevertheless, enough remains in the form of original documents, such as engagement diaries and letters and informal information, to chart her life more completely than ever before and to attempt to rectify the negative or dismissive attitude towards her which has gained credence in some previous works. This method, rather than drawing mainly from over-salted and peppered memoirs written much later, aims to show her character, enables readers to get to know her and to appreciate what an enormous amount a senior member of the royal family has to accomplish, while still remaining the loving daughter, sister, wife, and mother, and keen supporter of the arts, welfare, and education, that Alexandra was.
During her life, she met many famous, notable, and intriguing people, while her own journey - from the young, modest Danish Princess who married the Prince of Wales in 1863, to the popular Queen Consort of King Edward VII, and the beloved Queen Mother - saw her personal development and courageous struggle against disability, especially deafness. She was a generous, thoughtful, and caring woman, who maintained her sense of humour and interest in all kinds of things and under sometimes challenging circumstances. She could be a lively correspondent and her letters will help readers to understand her far better than has hitherto been possible. This book is long and detailed and readers may like to dip in and out of it, finding stories in all parts, rather than reading it straight through, but it might claim a place among the variety of entertainments that are comforting us in these difficult times."
This book is the culmination of more than 15 years of research, made more difficult because Queen Alexandra destroyed her diaries and other papers.
Frances Dimond was the first Curator of the Royal Photograph Collection.
You can pre-order the book here by clicking on the links.
This is exciting!!!
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