Glamour. Drama. Intrigue.
There’s something alluring about the rarified world of the British royals and high society. While writing my latest novel The Last Dance of the Debutante, I found myself swept up in 1958, the last year that debutantes were presented to Queen Elizabeth II. My novel follows Lily, a debutante torn between tradition and modernity, as she navigates friendships and rivalries with her fellow debutantes until she learns a life-changing family secret and realizes that she must take control of her destiny.
While writing The Last Dance of the Debutante, it was hard not to draw on comparisons to the first seasons of Netflix’s The Crown, with high society looking to a new, young queen on the throne even as the pressures of modern society demand change. With season five set to premiere in November, the show has promised to bring us into the ‘90s and the beginning of the tumultuous end of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage. We will also get the first look at Imelda Stanton taking over the role of Her Majesty from Olivia Coleman.
If you can’t wait for the next season of The Crown, here are seven more books to read that touch on the rarefied world of the royals and British high society.
The Duchess by Wendy Holden
Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, was arguably one of the most notorious women of the twentieth century. In The Dutchess, Holden takes a fresh approach to present the story of Wallis and King Edward VIII, their affair, his abdication and their marriage, humanizing the woman behind the headlines.
The Last Debutantes by Georgie Blalock
In 1939, as the world prepared for war, a group of debutantes readied for their presentations at court. One of them was Valerie de Vere Cole, niece of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. The Last Debutantes weaves the dangerous political situation in Europe that will ultimately result in the start of World War II with the lives of the debutantes themselves, leaving readers certain that the world of high society London will never be the same.
The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher
Set a year before Blalock’s book, The Kennedy Debutante tells the forbidden love story of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy. The daughter of the American ambassador, she and her sisters are in London to be presented to the queen and do the Season. However, the glittering balls and parties turn fraught when the Catholic Kathleen meets and falls in love with Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire and a Protestant. As her family objects to their love, she’s pushed into the impossible dilemma of choosing her happiness or her family.
The Gown by Jennifer Robson
Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding gown takes center stage in this historical novel that focuses on two of the embroiderers who created the intricate designs featured on her dress. Told in a dual timeline that shifts between modern-day Canada and 1947 London, readers will be swept away by each woman’s story and the ultimate revelation of a long-held family secret.
In Royal Service to the Queen by Tessa Arlen
If you’re craving intimate details of the royal family, this book about the queen’s governess Marion Crawford, affectionately known as “Crawfie,” should be the perfect fit. While the future queen finds herself defending her desire to marry Prince Phillip of Greece, Crawfie puts her own engagement on hold to support her charge. However, Crawfie’s actions mean that her relationship with a key member of the royal family is tested as this novel explores loyalty, love and betrayal.
Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
Grace Kelly’s wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco is the background against which the writing team of Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb tells the story of a second-chance romance. When struggling perfumer Sophie helps the world-famous movie star hide from persistent press photographer James, neither Sophie nor James knows that the chance encounter — and their relationship with the future princess — will one day force them to ask what they will be willing to do for love.
Last Curtsey: The End of the English Debutante by Fiona MacCarthy
This delightful, wry nonfiction history of the last debutante presentations at court was my primary source of research while writing The Last Dance of the Debutante. Eminent biographer Fiona MacCarthy was herself one of the 1958 debutantes, and she shares intimate details of the entire Season from the girls’ curtsy to the queen to coming out balls in London, Dublin and Scotland. It is a charming read for anyone interested in the last great days of British high society.
