Outrageous Fortune: Growing Up at Leeds Castle
Page 24
Forking left up the gentle hill towards the offices and what used to be called the stable yard, I easily succumbed to the nostalgia of the moment, aided and abetted by the afternoon’s soft warmth and utter stillness.
“Me too.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am incredibly grateful to a small number of people who made it possible for me write and publish Outrageous Fortune: Growing Up at Leeds Castle. Jennifer Repo, Gerald Sindell, and Bevis Hillier all lent their individual perspective and expertise in helping me to rework, restructure, and rebuild my earlier drafts. Thank you for giving me so much of your time and very special guidance. Also, thanks, Bevis, for outing some nasty clichés which (inexplicably) put in an appearance earlier on! Huge thanks to my editor at St. Martin’s Press, Hope Dellon, for doing such a wonderful job on the book and, also, to her assistant editor, Silissa Kenney, who has been so kind and thoughtful to me throughout the lengthy process of “seeing into print.” Thank you, Susan Llewellyn, for your copyediting; thanks to Chris Scheina for handling subsidiary rights; and thanks to the Art Department for a wonderful cover. My thanks to the Leeds Castle Foundation for permission to use photographs from their archives, and, especially, to Nic Fulcher, the former Heritage Manager at the castle, who assisted me greatly during my visits over the past two years. I look forward to meeting and working with everyone at the Leeds Castle Foundation in the future. To my friend and agent, Charlotte Gusay, I offer the biggest thank-you of all. You nurtured this project through every one of its stages and never gave up on me, even when a little hand-wringing entered the fray and a satisfactory end was still nowhere in sight. Your enthusiasm for the book was infectious and provided me with extraordinary support. Thank you so much, Patt Morrison, for the introduction to Charlotte. Deepest, deepest thanks to my darling wife, Catherine. Everything good in life is due to you. You are also a fine and unflinching critic! Odo, what a son! I am truly proud of you. KBO.
Without you all there would be no Outrageous Fortune. Thanks again.
Anthony Russell
Los Angeles, June 2013
Leeds Castle, Kent, England. (Courtesy of the Leeds Castle Foundation)
The Daily Mirror covers the famous Russell baby case, 1922.
Lady Baillie (Granny B) at Leeds Castle with her German shepherd, Elsa, 1960s. (Courtesy of the Leeds Castle Foundation)
In 1948, Lady Baillie commissioned the French artist Etienne Drian to paint a “conversation piece” to be hung in the drawing room. The portrait features the author’s mother, Susan (left), Lady Baillie (center), and the author’s aunt Pauline (right). (Courtesy of the Leeds Castle Foundation)
Lady Ampthill, Granny A, in full flight with the Limerick Hunt, Ireland. (Photo by Frank H. Meads, courtesy of Jim Meads)
Dunguaire, Granny A’s castle, Ireland, 1963. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Author’s parents, the Hon. Geoffrey and Mrs. Russell, Leeds Castle, c. 1940s. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Nanny Penney at Leeds Castle, c. 1958. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Outside 24 Egerton Terrace, London: James (left), David (centre), author (right), 1952. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Author having tea with Carolyn Warrender, Leeds Castle, 1956. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Morg, the author’s mother, the author (front left), James, Lido Beach, Venice, 1957. Photo taken at Hotel Excelsior, Venice Lido, Italy. (www.hotelexcelsiorvenezia.com)
Drinks at the Excelsior Hotel, Lido Beach, Venice. Left to right: The Hon. Mrs. Robin Warrender, author’s father, author’s aunt Pauline, author’s mother, The Hon. Robin Warrender, 1957. Photo taken at Hotel Excelsior, Venice Lido, Italy. (www.hotelexcelsiorvenezia.com)
Author with Annabel Warrender, Bembridge, Isle of Wight, 1959. (Photo courtesy of the author)
A portion of the court relaxes after tea. Left to right: Morg, David, Colonel Anson, James, Captain Lambert, Reg Shurey, c. 1959. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Author at riding school, Bearsted, Kent, c. 1961. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Author with sister, Vanessa, in go-cart outside castle, 1960. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Author (with guitar) and siblings in the Maiden’s Tower “playroom.” (Photo courtesy of the author)
Author, the Silver Bugler, St Aubyns, The March Past, 1964. (Photo courtesy of the author)
The author’s parents off to a Buckingham Palace event, c. 1965. (Photo courtesy of the author)
The author rehearses with his band at Stowe, 1968. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Author on the croquet lawn, Leeds Castle, 1972. (Photo courtesy of the author)
Author’s mother presents the “key to the castle” to Queen Elizabeth with Pauline and Vanessa, 1981. (Courtesy of the Leeds Castle Foundation)
The swimming pool, Leeds Castle. (Courtesy of the Leeds Castle Foundation)
The drawing room, Leeds Castle. (Courtesy of the Leeds Castle Foundation)
Lady Baillie’s bedroom, Leeds Castle. (Courtesy of the Leeds Castle Foundation)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ANTHONY RUSSELL was educated at Stowe School, England. For more than five hundred years his family has served kings and queens of England as ministers, privy counselors, generals, and prime minister. He was raised at Leeds Castle, Kent, where his childhood was centered on the feudal world of his very rich grandmother, Lady Baillie, with occasional excursions to the much less grand castle of his other grandmother, Lady Ampthill, in Ireland. A writer, musician, and composer, he currently divides his time between Los Angeles and France. Visit Anthony online at www.anthony-russell.com.
OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE. Copyright © 2013 by Anthony Russell. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design and photo-coloring by Lauren Harms
Cover photograph of the author and his brothers by Geoffrey Russell
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Russell, Anthony, 1952–
Outrageous fortune: growing up at Leeds Castle / Anthony Russell.—First edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-250-00601-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-03137-2 (e-book)
1. Russell, Anthony, 1952—Childhood and youth. 2. Leeds Castle (England) 3. Kent (England)—Social life and customs. 4. Nobility—Great Britain—History—20th century. 5. Baillie, Olive, 1899–1974. I. Title.
DA664.L38R87 2013
942.2′375—dc23
[B]
2013016546
eISBN 9781250031372
First Edition: November 2013