Forty years of comfort-eating
In 2015 a pair of linen drawers belonging to Queen Victoria sold at auction for over £12,000. In old age…
Suspension of disbelief
The history of modern medicine is a roll call of brilliant minds making breakthrough discoveries. We rarely hear about the…
Charming old fox
Talleyrand was 76 when he took up the post of French ambassador in London in 1830. Linda Kelly deals only…
Bad behaviour
Molly Keane achieved fame and critical acclaim in 1981 aged 75, when she published the novel Good Behaviour, a razor-sharp…
Bad behaviour
Molly Keane achieved fame and critical acclaim in 1981 aged 75, when she published the novel Good Behaviour, a razor-sharp…
Blithe spirit
Lady Anne Barnard is a name that means almost nothing today, but her story is a remarkable one. She defied…
In the company of queens
Steven Runciman, the historian of Byzantium, is a puzzling figure. He was an outrageous snob, once remarking that he would…
