The scandalous true story of the duchess who became her beloved queen's blackmailer, published in a new and updated edition to coincide with the Oscar-winning film starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.
The scandalous true story of the duchess who became her beloved queen's blackmailer, published in a new and updated edition to coincide with the Oscar nominated film starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, was as glamorous as she was controversial. Politically influential and independently powerful, she was an intimate, and then a blackmailer, of Queen Anne, accusing her of keeping lesbian favourites - including Sarah's own cousin Abigail Masham.
Ophelia Field's masterly biography brings Sarah Churchill's own voice, passionate and intelligent, back to life. Here is an unforgettable portrait of a woman who cared intensely about how we would remember her.
'An incredible story crackling with royal passion, envy, ambition and betrayal ... Field's account of the psychological power play between Queen Anne and her confidante is surely definitive. A tour de force' Lucy Worsley
A great read ... Simply put, the life [Ophelia] Field documents and interprets with great care shows Sarah to be as remarkable as her many doubters over a couple of centuries could never believe or admit. One pleasure is how often she quotes Sarah, who wasn't a wit but was so frank and trenchant that she is witty in spite of her pragmatic nature ... in [Ophelia] Field's book, [Sarah Churchill] remains untethered, a magnificent woman to occasion wonder
