Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess

By Elisabeth Basford and Hugo Vickers

Princess Diana is seen as the first member of the British royal family to tear up the rulebook, and the Duchess of Cambridge is modernising the monarchy in strides. But before them was another who paved the way.

Princess Mary was born in 1897. Despite her Victorian beginnings, she strove to make a princess’s life meaningful, using her position to help those less fortunate and defying gender conventions in the process. As the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, she would live to see not only two of her brothers ascend the throne but also her niece Queen Elizabeth II.

She was one of the hardest-working members of the royal family, known for her no-nonsense approach and her determination in the face of adversity. During the First World War she came into her own, launching an appeal to furnish every British troop and sailor with a Christmas gift, and training as a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

From her dedication to the war effort, to her role as the family peacemaker during the Abdication Crisis, Mary was the princess who redefined the title for the modern age. In the first biography in decades, Elisabeth Basford offers a fresh appraisal of Mary’s full and fascinating life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Feb 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9780750997003

Elisabeth Basford

ELISABETH BASFORD is a writer based in South Yorkshire. She has twenty-five years’ experience as a teacher and examiner, and has written for magazines and online publications including Majesty, Red and Goldie. She writes about history, education, the arts, culture and lifestyle on her popular blog Write on Ejaleigh!

Reviews for Princess Mary

[etxgardener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I picked up this book because I’ve always wondered how the Lascelles branch of the Royal Family became ostracized from the rest of the family. However, since this is the typical fawning officially authorized story, only the barest bones of the actual scandal is revealed – to wit Mary’s son, George had a child outside of wedlock while married, was the first Royal to get a divorce and then was ostracized from all family events.I find this highly ironic in light of the activities of the royal family in the past 25 years. Sic transit gloria Isn’t it time for them all to go?

[briandrewz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At last, a long-overdue biography of George V and Mary's only daughter lets us into a life that has previously remained elusive. Elisabeth Basford is to be commended for an eminently readable book that details every aspect of the princess's life. Shy and retiring, Princess Mary had the appearance of being aloof in photographs. In real life, she was anything but. Her public engagements, foreign travel, and work with the armed forces helped to lay the groundwork for the public of lives of many of today's royals.Absolutely fascinating!