Lyndsy Spence – författare

Before Diana Mitford's disgrace as a social pariah, she was a celebrated member of the Bright Young Things, moving at the centre of 1920s and '30s London high society. She was a muse to many: Helleu painted her, James Lees-Milne worshipped her, Evelyn Waugh dedicated a book to her and Winston Churchill nicknamed her 'Dina-mite'. As the young wife of Bryan Guinness, heir to the Guinness brewing empire, she lived a gilded life until fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley turned her head. Unpublished letters, diaries and archives bring an unknown Diana to life, creating a portrait of a beautiful woman whose charm and personality enthralled all who met her, but the discourse of her life would ultimately act as a cautionary tale. This groundbreaking biography reveals the woman behind the myth.

History has seen many women make their mark by defying the limits set against them, stepping out of the boxes they had been put in and forging their own path.She Who Dares is a collection of pen portraits of ten extraordinary women who dared to defy the norm: Mariga Guinness, Enid Lindeman, Sylvia Ashley, Joan Wyndham, Venetia Montagu, Irene Curzon, Sylvia Brooke, Sydney Redesdale, Hazel Lavery and Jean Massereene. They were often witnesses to or participants in key events in the last 100 years, including abdications, the rise of fascism and two world wars. Their lives were dramatic and vibrant, usually involving tangled webs of relationships, heartbreak and scandal. From influencing politics to being accused of witchcraft, from glamorous society beauties to nonconformist tom-boys, each of these women deserves to be described as trailblazing.

The shocking true story behind A Very British Scandal, starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany Margaret, Duchess of Argyll’s life was one of complexity and controversy. Born Ethel Margaret Whigham, the only child of a Scottish self-made millionaire and a beautiful high-society woman, her childhood was rich and splendid – but empty. She was a daddy’s girl with an absent father, living with a jealous mother who sought to remind Margaret of her every shortcoming. As she grew up, her name was a byword for class and beauty; she was the debutante of her coming-out year, and her marriage to Charles Sweeny literally stopped traffic. But it was not to last: Margaret needed more. What followed was a story of tragedy, scandal and heartbreak as Margaret swung from lover to lover, society to society. This culminated in her notorious divorce case of 1963, where her soon-to-be-ex-husband produced his pie`ce de résistance: a Polaroid of her in a compromising position with two other men.In The Grit in the Pearl, Lyndsy Spence takes a look at a woman who was ahead of her time. Using previously unpublished sources and personal transcripts, this is the story of a fragile woman who was to come up against the very highest echelons of English high society – and lose.

‘Touched with genius’ - The SpectatorWhat’s the best way to get the upper hand in an argument solely through letters? How should you liven up a dull night at Buckingham Palace? When, exactly, is the best time to run away to the Spanish Civil War?The Mitford sisters – Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah – knew the answers to all these questions and more. Perhaps the most remarkable family of the mid-twentieth century, their exciting and varied lives, from communist to fascist to aristocrat, mean that there’s no problem they can’t solve.

'Call it ‘charm’, call it ‘magic’, call it ‘Maria’' - Dorle Soria‘The new face of Maria Callas … is even more dramatic than how History (with a capital H) has already painted it.’ - Vogue ItaliaMaria Callas (1923–77) was the greatest opera diva of all time. Despite a career that remains unmatched by any prima donna, much of her life was overshadowed by her fiery relationship with Aristotle Onassis, who broke her heart when he left her for Jacqueline Kennedy, and her legendary tantrums on and off the stage.However, little is known about the woman behind the diva. She was a girl brought up between New York and Greece, who was forced to sing by her emotionally abusive mother and who left her family behind in Greece for an international career. Feted by royalty and Hollywood stars, she fought sexism to rise to the top, but there was one thing she wanted but could not have – a happy private life.In Cast a Diva, bestselling author Lyndsy Spence draws on previously unseen documents to reveal the raw, tragic story of a true icon.

Vivien Leigh was one of the greatest film and theatrical stars of the twentieth century. Her Oscar-winning performances in Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire have cemented her status as an icon of classic Hollywood.Her meteoric rise to fame launched her into the gaze of fellow rising star Laurence Olivier. A tempestuous relationship ensued that would last for twenty years and captured the imagination of people around the world.Behind the scenes, however, Leigh’s personal life was marred by bipolar disorder, which remained undiagnosed until 1953. Largely misunderstood and subjected to barbaric mistreatment at the hands of her doctors, she also suffered the heartbreak of Olivier’s infidelity. Contributing to her image as a tragic heroine, she died at the age of 53.Where Madness Lies begins in 1953, when Leigh suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalised. The woeful story unfolds as she tries to rebuild her life, salvage her career and save her marriage.Featuring a wealth of unpublished material, including private correspondence, bestselling author Lyndsy Spence reveals the woman behind the legendary image: a woman who remained strong in the face of adversity