The Favourite

'An incredible story crackling with royal passion, envy, ambition and betrayal ... Field's account of the psychological power play between Queen Anne and her confidante is surely definitive. A tour de force' Lucy Worsley

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1774), was as glamorous as she was controversial. Politically influential and independently powerful, she was an intimate, and then a blackmailer, of Queen Anne, accusing her of keeping lesbian favourites - including Sarah's own cousin Abigail Masham.

Ophelia Field's masterly biography, published in a new and updated edition, brings Sarah Churchill's own voice, passionate and intelligent, back to life. Here is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who cared intensely about how we would remember her.

“Scholarly, highly articulate, and above all never dull”

A lively and provocative biography of a fascinating woman, which is crafted with style and vivacity ... It will appeal to both scholars and the general reading public alike

A masterly biography which brilliantly captures the power and passion of its subject. This is an exemplary study of an extraordinary woman

Ophelia Field was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, and the London School of Economics. She has worked as a policy analyst and consultant for a wide range of refugee and human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, UNHCR, English PEN and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. Simultaneously, Ophelia researched and wrote The Favourite, originally published in 2002, and The Kit-Cat Club, which in 2008 was selected by the Financial Times as one of their History Books of the Year. She lives in London, with her partner and children.

'An incredible story crackling with royal passion, envy, ambition and betrayal ... Field's account of the psychological power play between Queen Anne and her confidante is surely definitive. A tour de force' Lucy Worsley Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1774), was as glamorous as she was controversial. Politically influential and independently powerful, she was an intimate, and then a blackmailer, of Queen Anne, accusing her of keeping lesbian favourites - including Sarah's own cousin Abigail Masham.Ophelia Field's masterly biography, published in a new and updated edition, brings Sarah Churchill's own voice, passionate and intelligent, back to life. Here is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who cared intensely about how we would remember her.

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