By Anne Glenconner
Anne Coke (pronounced "Cook"), daughter of the Earl of Leicester, grew up on Holkham, an estate adjacent to Sandringham, and counted the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret among her friends. She had a happy childhood, even during the 3 years when her parents were off doing war duty and she and her sister Carrie were sent to live with a relative in Scotland. In her early 20s, Anne travelled to America to market Holkham pottery, manufactured on her family's estate, but was unexpectedly called home to serve as a maid of honor in Elizabeth's II's coronation.
Not long after the coronation, Anne married Colin Tenant, Baron Glenconner. Though subject to temper tantrums and very impulsive, Anne learned to cope with Colin and their family grew to include 3 sons, followed by twin girls. On a trip to the Caribbean, Colin learned of Mustique, an island in the Grenadines for sale for £45,000 and bought it sight unseen. He would go on to develop the island, which became a retreat for Princess Margaret and other royals and notable Brits.
Following the birth of her twins, Anne was asked by Princess Margaret to be one of her 5 ladies-in-waiting. While not a full-time position, it was nevertheless a considerable responsibility requiring a lot of travel, assessing and addressing Margaret's needs. Anne writes of some funny adventures while on official royal business, such as where to pin a medal on an African leader who wore only a loin cloth.
The Tenants' oldest son Charlie suffered from drug abuse, including heroin, for many years. Unlike his brother, second son Henry was a high achiever who married and fathered a son - only to realize he was gay, and developed AIDS in the 1980s when it was very stigmatizing and little was known about the disease. Third son Christopher nearly died as a result of a motorbike crash, but recovered after long years of therapy, mostly administered by Anne.
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Anne herself, making the story personal and affecting. She truly has lived an extraordinary life - not only because of her royal connections. Somehow she has weathered a storm of sadness - thanks to faith and friends. Currently 88, she writes of so many events that I only saw on the news, and it was fascinating to hear an insider's perspective.
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