MUSTREADS Out now in paperback
THE LOST TUDOR PRINCESS
by Alison Weir
(Vintage £9.99)
IN 1536, Henry VIII’s court was preoccupied with the now well-known family drama of Catherine of Aragon’s death, Anne Boleyn’s execution and the King’s marriage to Jane Seymour.
But within the same household, a less famous royal scandal was about to unravel. Margaret Douglas, the King’s much- adored niece, had become betrothed to her secret lover.
When the couple’s relationship was exposed, Henry was so incensed that a relative’s hand had been taken in marriage without his consent that he created legislation that ruled such behaviour was treacherous and sentenced the pair to death.
Margaret was eventually freed, but this was just the first of many crises the reckless and tenacious princess would experience during a turbulent life that also saw her husband and son murdered.
A magnificent and thorough study by a sharp historian.
HAVE I SAID TOO MUCH?
by Carole White
(Arrow £8.99)
HOW do you spot star quality in a model? It’s when she ‘quivers, like a thoroughbred racehorse. They vibrate on a special frequency,’ says Carole White, aka ‘The Witch’ and co-founder of the Premier model agency.
The first one she signed up was Susie Bick — Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista soon followed.
These were just some of the n a mes on her b ooks who would go on to become the first supermodels. In her unapologetic and riotous memoir, White takes us on a ‘hedonistic rollercoaster’ through her life and career.
Though she says she doesn’t really believe in regrets, she admits the closest she’s come to one is turning down Kate Moss, whom she thought was too short.
‘I know, shoot me now,’ she cackles.
THE BEDSIDE BOOK OF FINAL WORDS
by Eric Grounds
(Amberley)
ON ONE’S deathbed it seems a common thought to have champagne on the brain.
As economist John Maynard Keynes faded away following a heart attack in 1946, many allege his final words were that he wished he’d drunk more of it.
Oscar Wilde, too, seemed to have had a craving for bubbles, reportedly asking for a glass to sip before remarking: ‘Alas, I am dying beyond my means.’
In reality, he was semi-comatose before his death, but as verification is tricky, it’s nicer to think of these old greats swilling glasses of champers until their final gasp.
In this miscellany of final words uttered by famous individuals, we learn that Nancy Astor wasn’t sure if she was dying or if it was her birthday; Colonel Gaddafi asked his captors: ‘What did I do to you? Do you know right from wrong?’; and Archimedes requested: ‘Wait till I have finished my problem’, before being stabbed to death by an impatient solider.
While the author freely admits that ‘there is absolutely no evidence’ to stand up some of the rumoured quotations, these snapshots certainly entertain.