Whatever Next?

Anne Glenconner's glittering life hasn't always been golden. As she revealed in her astonishing memoir Lady in Waiting, it has been one of stark contrasts - from growing up in Holkham Hall to living in a tent in the island jungle of Mustique, from travelling the world with Princess Margaret to coping with her wildly unpredictable husband Lord Glenconner. Tragically, she has also survived the loss of two of her sons and nursed a third son back from a coma.

Now in her ninth decade, her strong spirit still intact, she's happier than she's ever been and ready to share what her long and unexpected life has taught her.

Anne brings her bracing honesty, characteristic wit and courage to reveal more about her life, including the darkest corners of her marriage, and what helped her stay resilient.

She became a master in the art of keeping the peace, knowing when to pick her battles, when to seek help - and when to take a lover. She acquired great practical skills - throwing marvellous parties and looking after magnificent homes and, as a lady in waiting, becoming well versed in diplomacy and etiquette. As a mother she learnt the toughest lessons of all, and through them the value of friendship, family and laughter to get you through the worst moments in life, as well as celebrate the best of them.

Anne Glenconner's Whatever Next is the richly entertaining proof that staying open to every new adventure and being ready for whatever happens is a marvellous example for us all.

Lady Glenconner was born Lady Anne Coke in 1932, the eldest daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, and growing up in their ancestral estate at Holkham Hall in Norfolk. A Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation, she married Lord Glenconner in 1956. They had 5 children together of whom 3 survive. In 1958 she and her husband began to transform the island of Mustique into a paradise for the rich and famous. They granted a plot of land to Princess Margaret who built her favourite home there. She was appointed Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret in 1971 and kept this role - accompanying her on many state occasions and foreign tours - until her death in 2002. Lord Glenconner died in 2010, leaving everything in his will to his former employee. She now lives in a farmhouse near Kings Lynn in Norfolk.

Anne Glenconner's glittering life hasn't always been golden. As she revealed in her astonishing memoir Lady in Waiting , it has been one of stark contrasts - from growing up in Holkham Hall to living in a tent in the island jungle of Mustique, from travelling the world with Princess Margaret to coping with her wildly unpredictable husband Lord Glenconner. Tragically, she has also survived the loss of two of her sons and nursed a third son back from a coma. Now in her ninth decade, her strong spirit still intact, she's happier than she's ever been and ready to share what her long and unexpected life has taught her. Anne brings her bracing honesty, characteristic wit and courage to reveal more about her life, including the darkest corners of her marriage, and what helped her stay resilient. She became a master in the art of keeping the peace, knowing when to pick her battles, when to seek help - and when to take a lover. She acquired great practical skills - throwing marvellous parties and looking after magnificent homes and, as a lady in waiting, becoming well versed in diplomacy and etiquette. As a mother she learnt the toughest lessons of all, and through them the value of friendship, family and laughter to get you through the worst moments in life, as well as celebrate the best of them. Anne Glenconner's Whatever Next is the richly entertaining proof that staying open to every new adventure and being ready for whatever happens is a marvellous example for us all.

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