King's Counsellor
Abdication and War: the Diaries of Sir Alan Lascelles edited by Duff Hart-Davis

Name: King's Counsellor
Brand: Hachette UK
Availability: InStock
Author: Alan Lascelles
ISBN: 9781474618236

Author: Alan Lascelles, Duff Hart-Davis

Narrator: Pip Torrens

Unabridged: 14 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published: 11/19/2020

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Memoirs, Literary Collections, History, Modern History, Wars, World War Ii

Synopsis

The diaries of 'Tommy' Lascelles - as featured in the Netflix hit THE CROWN

'Brilliantly entertaining and historically priceless' Spectator

'Fascinating ... as much a contribution to royal legend as to the history of the war' Daily Telegraph

As Assistant Private Secretary to four monarchs, 'Tommy' Lascelles had a ringside seat from which to observe the workings of the royal household and Downing Street during the first half of the 20th century.

These fascinating diaries begin with Edward VIII's abdication and end with George VI's death and his daughter Elizabeth's Coronation. In between we see George VI at work and play, a portrait more intimate than any other previously published.

This compelling account also includes Princess Margaret's relationship with Peter Townsend, and throws an intriguing new light on the way in which King George VI and Winston Churchill worked together during the Second World War.

Lascelles was a fine writer - like most of the best diaries his are a delight to read as well as being invaluable history.

About Alan Lascelles

Sir Alan {known as 'Tommy'] Lascelles served four monarchs - George V, Edward VIII, George VI and the present Queen, the last two as Private Secretary.

About Duff Hart-Davis

Duff Hart-Davis is a writer and journalist. His books include Fauna Britannica and Audubon's Elephant. He was Literary Editor and Assistant Editor of the Sunday Telegraph and was been country columnist for The Independent 1986-2001. He lives and farms in Gloucestershire.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brenda on August 07, 2021

I loved this book. A window into history but I think also (and perhaps more important) a window into the man Alan Lascelles. I came to like him and admire him. I would have liked to know him personally but I fear I may have been one of those who would be a boring dinner partner. Not that I want to b......more

Goodreads review by Carolyn on August 14, 2024

The third volume of the letters and diaries of Sir Alan "Tommy" Lascelles, private secretary to King George VI and the young Queen Elizabeth II, covering the abdication crisis, the Second World War and Princess Margaret's romance with Peter Townsend. The diaries and letters not only provide a valuab......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on February 15, 2010

As a scion of the Harwood family and proud of his lineage, Alan Lascelles probably came across as something of an old school stuffed shirt. This book shows that he was anything but. Beautifully written, King's Counsellor is largely made up of his war time diary and letters written after 1946 until h......more

Goodreads review by Lady Wesley on October 24, 2022

Review of the audiobook narrated by Pip Torrens In the Netflix series The Crown, Pip Torrens plays Tommy Lascelles, private secretary to Kings Edward VIII and George VI. He was an insider's insider, and his diaries (incomplete though they are) provide a fascinating look at the abdication of Edward,......more

Goodreads review by Jeffrey on April 23, 2019

Excellent source material for personal as well as historical background of World War II England.......more

Quotes

Elegant and precise ... a revealing glimpse into the drawing rooms of the great during the years of crisis and victory ... Lascelles was an excellent judge of character, and posterity has almost always proved him right EVENING STANDARD

This fascinating volume is as much a contribution to royal legend as to the history of the war DAILY TELEGRAPH

Most - though by no means all - of the facts we know already: it is the angle from which they are viewed and the humour and intelligence of the observer which make these diaries both brilliantly entertaining and historically priceless SPECTATOR

Offers fascinating and hitherto unseen glimpses of some of the most significant figures of our age ... however, none emerges more engagingly than the diarist himself SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Offers genuine insights into the role of the King's adviser INDEPENDENT

A great read, written with humour and elegance BELFAST TELEGRAPH

I greatly enjoyed KING'S COUNSELLOR MAIL ON SUNDAY Book of the Year