The Heir Apparent Read Free Page A

Bertie, he went on to serve George V.

    Alix in the midst of her family in Denmark: her father (King Christian IX), her sister Minnie (Dowager Empress of Russia), and (with her back to the camera) her sister Thyra (Crown Princess of Hanover).

    The kaiser (back row, fourth left) stays at Windsor, November 1907. There are five queens and four kings in this photograph.

    The King photographed by Baron de Meyer in 1904.

    Dighton Probyn, court comptroller and honorary Sikh, with his “Blessed Lady,” Queen Alexandra, in 1920.

FOR TOBY AND HUMPHREY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    My first and greatest debt is to Her Majesty the Queen for granting me unrestricted access to the papers of Edward VII in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle. This book is not an official biography. I was not commissioned to write it; the proposal was mine, and it has been an incredible privilege to work in Windsor’s treasure house of papers. Pam Clark and Jill Kelsey guided my research, which must at times have seemed never ending. They painstakingly checked my transcriptions and rigorously examined the accuracy of my text. For this I am grateful, though any remaining errors are, of course, my own. I should like to thank the Royal Librarian Lady Roberts, Lord Luce, and Lady de Bellaigue.
    The Hon. Georgina Stonor gave invaluable advice, especially on Queen Alexandra. Victoria Fishburn, an indefatigable researcher, accompanied me on trips to archives and dug away at Daisy Warwick’s papers. I should like to thank Caroline Spurrier for permission to quotefrom her Daisy Warwick archive. Other descendants of Bertie’s women friends who have been especially helpful are Anne Somerset, Sarah Lutyens, and Sir Philip Naylor-Leyland. Cara Lancaster generously lent the papers of Mabel Batten. For Emma Bourke, I thank James Collett-White. Miranda Villiers entertained me and helped me to understand the Keppels, and John Phillips provided encouragement and information. Anthony Camp’s prompt and scholarly genealogical research has kept me right on mistresses and bastards.
    The late Lord Aylesford was generous with his records and his time at Packington Hall. I am grateful to John Sandwich for permission to use the Mapperton Papers (Oliver Montagu), and for kindly allowing me to reproduce illustrations from his superb albums. Penny Crowe approached me with the forgotten story of her forebear James Mackenzie and made available his papers. Charles Sebag-Montefiore kindly allowed me to use the papers of Philip Magnus. Michaela Reid showed me the diaries of Sir James Reid. Henry Poole and Co. of Savile Row provided an insight into Tum Tum’s waistline. Ian Shapiro generously allowed me to reproduce photographs from his collection at Argyll Etkin.
    For advice on medical issues I am grateful to Carole Reeves of the Wellcome Library and to James Lefanu and Anthony Wright. My thanks to Philip Mansel and the Society for Court Studies, to whom I have given four papers on various aspects of this book. Working on a documentary for BBC2 about Bertie with Denys Blakeway and Rob Coldstream greatly helped to focus my thoughts. Edwina Ehrman enlightened me about Alexandra’s clothes. Marina Vorobieva kindly helped with Russian sources. Yvonne Ward lent me her excellent PhD thesis.
    I was awarded a Research Fellowship by the Leverhulme Trust in 2007–8. This was immensely valuable in enabling me to dedicate time to writing the book. The Leverhulme Trust also awarded me a research expenses grant to fund the translation from Danish of Alexandra’s letters to her sister Minnie. Birgit Christensen, my translator in Copenhagen, opened up Alexandra’s world for me.
    The following people have lent me books and unpublished materials,provided information, and helped in all sorts of ways with the book: R. J. Q. Adams; Mark Amory; Nicolas Barker; Stephen Bartley; Richard Belfield; Mark Blackett-Ord; Vernon Bogdanor; Mark Bostridge; Fiona Campbell; Moyra Campbell; David Cannadine; Juliet Carey;