Princess Mary is one of those royal women that you hear about fairly often enough, but nothing in great detail. She appears in the background of a few episodes of The Crown and as a secondary character in the Downton Abbey film, but nothing in-depth. So, I was intrigued by this book when I first saw it making the rounds on Instagram and Twitter- the royal community is fairly small, and it seemed to be getting good reviews. I’m happy to say that I loved it, and that Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess is the perfect book to round out Women’s History Month!
Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess, Elizabeth Basford
Princess Diana is seen as the first British royal to tear up the rulebook in terms of what behavior befit a princess, and in her wake Catherine and Meghan are taking leaps and bounds in modernizing the monarchy. But before this trio of deservedly lauded and often lambasted women, there was a princess who paved the way.
Born in 1897, Princess Mary was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. Despite her Victorian beginnings, she strove to make a princess’ life meaningful, using her elevated position to help those less fortunate and defying gender conventions in the process. From her dedication to the war effort, visiting wounded soldiers and training as a nurse, to her role as a peacemaker during the Abdication Crisis, Mary was one princess who redefined the title for the modern age. (Description from Amazon)
Why You Should Read This…
Daughter of George V, sister to Edward VII and George VI, aunt to Elizabeth II, Mary is in the background of many world events in the first half of the twentieth century, but we never hear about her. Basford has rectified that! Although she was a quieter person, Mary was a dedicated member of the royal family, and continually worked to provide a constant and hardworking image of the royal family, and Basford does a wonderful job of demonstrating that.
I appreciated learning more about Mary’s family- I knew a little of her husband, but I think it was wise to learn more. (Basford does mention that the Downton Abbey movie portrayed it as a negative marriage multiple times, which felt slightly onerous.) I really knew nothing about her sons, and I think Basford covers them fairly. She also looks at her relationship with her brothers, another complex but fascinating dimension to her life.
My only slight trepidation with this book is that it does sometimes veer into hero worship. We are all humans with good and bad qualities, but Basford’s approach leaves Mary nearly a saint. Not that I think she was a horrible person, but there is always a reason why something should be seen in her favour. (I would say that this could be chalked up to being a biography vs a history.)
Are you going to read Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess?
Cheers,
The Historian
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