Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown
If you are a fan of The Crown and enjoy Royal gossip, I recommend Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret, which for lack of a better description, is an unconventional biography.
Brown has assembled in no particular order ninety-nine vignettes of the controversial princess taken from interviews, memoirs, diaries, catalogues, announcements, lists, parodies, websites, and sketches.
Princess Margaret certainly made good copy. Depending on the source, she was either witty or witchy, regal or rude, but always a presence. (This despite being very tiny. Among her many nicknames, “the Royal Dwarf.”)
Given the lack of a traditional narrative and the casual chronological order, this is not a book that needs to be read straight through. I read it in bits over a six-month period and enjoyed it no less. I have no idea how many of the outrageous tales are actually true, but it is a rollicking read.
PS If you have read the more respectful Lady in Waiting, you will appreciate the racier versions of Princess Margaret’s Mustique experiences.
WHAT OTHER REVIEWERS SAY
Karen Heller, The Washington Post: “[Craig Brown’s] book is big fun, equal measures insightful and hysterical.”
WHO WROTE IT
Craig Brown is a prolific journalist and the author of eighteen other books. He has been writing his parodic diary in Private Eye since 1989. His work has appeared in many publications including The Guardian, The Times (London), The Spectator, Vanity Fair, New York magazine, and The New York Review of Books.