Life in the
Time of…Lady Diana de Vere
By Margaret Porter
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| Margaret with Lady Diana de Vere’s portrait, Hampton Court Palace |
You’re
probably familiar with the expression “May you live in interesting times.” A
blessing? Or is it a curse? My novel’s main character experienced extremely
interesting times, from a novelist’s perspective. Because in England the last
quarter of the seventeenth century was a period plagued by an unpopular foreign
war, constant political strife, legislative power plays, debates about
separation of church and state, religious strife, and so much more. Sound
familiar?
The people of
Lady Diana de Vere’s world are people in power—kings, aristocrats. But their
positions and their fortunes are precarious. Their security and safety are
never assured. As the daughter of the Earl of Oxford and Diana Kirke, Diana was
the descendant of many generations of courtiers and was expected to follow them
into royal service. While serving as maid of honour to Queen Mary II, she
became acquainted with her future husband—Charles Beauclerk, 1st
Duke of St. Albans, the son of King Charles II and actress Nell Gwyn.
The upper
classes tried to place their wives and daughters in the royal court, as lady of
the bedchamber or maid of honour to the Queen. It gave them proximity to
eligible gentlemen rich, powerful, and/or titled men. It was a means of
promoting family interests, and quite a few courtiers inherited positions held
by their parents or grandparents. A queen’s lady-in-waiting often became the
king’s pampered mistress. By giving birth to a royal bastard, she was ensured of
financial support for her lifetime. Families with sons wanted to snag a rich
heiress. Families with daughters wanted a higher title and a strong connection
to a wealthier or more powerful family. True love had little to do with
aristocratic marriages. Lady Diana would not necessarily have expected a close or
loving relationship with a suitor or a husband.
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| Queen Mary’s plants at Hampton Court, as Diana would have seen them. |
Another reason court service was a desirable career for a well-born woman—it ensured an annual salary, room and board, and sometimes even a generous dowry. She wore pretty clothes and received ample attention from male courtiers. She also gained material goods—gifts from the sovereign might include jewellery, lace, clothing, and valuable mementos. On a queen’s death, her clothing and possessions were distributed to those who had served her.
The
disadvantages were just as numerous. Salaries and stipends came irregularly and
were often in arrears. Providing the monarch with aristocratic companionship
was an arduous duty. One had to stand for hours on end, attain perfection in
dancing and manners, assist at the royal toilette and robing, determine which
visitors were welcome and properly introduce them. Those who had no taste for
dalliance fended off predatory libertines, intent on seduction. Those who
dallied with courtiers ran the risk of an unwanted pregnancy. An ordinary
bastard hadn’t the cachet of a royal one.
What was Diana de Vere
really like?
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| Discovering an unknown portrait of Diana as Duchess of St. Albans |
I wish I could know with
absolute certainty. I’ve walked past the spot where she was likely born. I’ve
stood in the royal chapel at Windsor Castle where she was most definitely laid
to rest. I know more about her portraits than any human on the planet. I’ve
read many accounts of her written by others. I know she liked flower gardens,
and that her horse-loving husband bought a mare for her, so she must have
enjoyed riding with him. But the only direct communication I had from Diana
herself comes in the words of her last will and testament—words she composed
several years before she died, as she distributed her money, property,
jewellery, and other treasures to family members.
Both the real Diana and
my fictional Diana are more virtuous than her mother, who was very much a court
lady and courtesan of the Restoration era—her morals, or lack of them, reflect
that. I wonder whether the scandalous Lady Oxford served as a cautionary
example to her daughter? Diana came of age during Mary II’s reign and was
probably influenced by the devout, charitable, and garden-loving queen she
served. In the reign of George I, she was Lady of the Bedchamber and Mistress
of the Robes to Caroline, Princess of Wales—a highly intelligent woman, with
great interest in science and art. If these women found her compatible, she
must have shared their qualities to a large extent.
Diana was famous for
being beautiful, from childhood until the day she died. But she also had the
management skills required to run a duke’s household as a young married woman,
and later in life, a royal household. Seven years after her death she was held
up as an excellent example of womanhood, who, “by a Life spent in piety and
good works, became the greatest character of the present, and a pattern for
future Ages.”
Even more telling, she
was, a star at her own son’s funeral. Lord James Beauclerk died in the late 18th
century, after serving nearly 40 years as the Bishop of Hereford. The cleric
who gave his eulogy took a brief detour to praise Diana, who by that time had
been dead over three decades.
that great and good lady, the late Duchess
of St. Alban's, whose memory will be
ever precious among us, sweet as honey in the mouths of all that speak
of her, and as music at a banquet of
wine in the ears of all that hear of her . . . so bright an example, and
so eminent a pattern of piety and good works . . . Of this Duchess Fame speaks
highly. She was charitable to the utmost of her abilities. She searched for
objects on whom she might bestow her fortune. She supported a dignity worthy of
her high birth; yet was of so condescending, so affable, and so courteous a
disposition, that she engaged and won the hearts of all who were admitted into
her presence. Of her beauty little need be said. View the portraits of her at
Hampton-Court and other places.
When writing
about an individual who lived so many centuries ago, absorbing her world
through research is essential. Immersion into the “life”—collecting
biographical facts—helps to create an accurate portrayal. Just as important is
immersion into the “times.”
Margaret
Porter
Margaret
Porter is the author of A Pledge of
Better Times and eleven more British-set historical novels for various
publishers, including several bestsellers, award-winners, and many foreign
language editions. She studied British history at universities in the U.K. and
U.S., and afterwards worked in theatre, film and television.
A Pledge Of
Better Times
“Porter’s ambitious
novel of 17th-century England is brimming with vivid historical figures and
events . . . rigorously researched and faithfully portrayed.” ~ ~ Publishers Weekly
“The remarkable figure
of Lady Diana de Vere stands at the center of Margaret Porter’s sumptuous,
wonderful new novel.” ~ ~ Historical
Novels Review
A
sweeping tale of ambition, treachery, and passion incorporating 17th century
historical figures, royalty, and events.
For generations Lady
Diana de Vere’s family loyally served England’s crown. But after King Charles
II’s untimely death, her father firmly opposes James II’s tyranny. Charles
Beauclerk, Duke of St. Albans—the late king’s bastard son by actress Nell
Gwyn—also rebels against his newly crowned uncle’s manipulation.
Political and religious
turmoil bring revolution and yet another coronation before Charles returns to
from war to claim his promised bride. As companion to Queen Mary Stuart, Diana
has followed her de Vere forbears into royal service. She expects Charles to
abandon his military career after marriage, but he proves unwilling to join the
ranks of the courtiers he despises and mistrusts.
In palace corridors and
within their own household the young duke and duchess confront betrayals,
scandals, and tragedies that threaten to divide them. And neither the
privileges of birth nor proximity to the throne can ensure their security,
their advancement—or their happiness.
