The Mistresses of Cliveden: Three Centuries of Scandal, Power and Intrigue in an English Stately Home

From Its Dawn In The 1660s To Its Twilight In The 1960s, Cliveden Was An Emblem Of Elite Misbehaviour And Intrigue. Conceived By The Duke Of Buckingham As A Retreat For His Scandalous Affair With Anna-maria, Countess Of Shrewsbury, The House Later Served As The Backdrop For The Profumo Affair, Which Would Bring Down A Government And Change The Course Of British History. In The Three Hundred Years Between The Countess And Christine Keeler, The House Was Occupied By A Dynasty Of Remarkable Women: Elizabeth Villiers, An Intellectual Who Brokered The Rise And Fall Of Governments; Augusta Of Saxe-gotha, A Minor German Royal Who Almost Became Queen Of England; Harriet Duchess Of Sutherland, The Glittering Society Hostess Turned Political Campaigner; And Nancy Astor, The Consummate Controversialist Who Became The First Woman To Take A Seat In Parliament. Under The Direction Of These Women, Cliveden Provided A Stage For Political Plots And Artistic Premieres, Hosted Grieving Monarchs And Republican Radicals, Was Idealised As A Family Home, And Maligned As A Threat To National Security--cover Jacket Flap. Natalie Livingstone. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.