Queens of Society: Six Extraordinary Society Hostesses Between the Wars

For fans of Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age, Queens of Society explores the lives of six remarkable women who made careers out of being society hostesses—and in doing so, brought about a form of social revolution.

In the aristocratic circles of early twentieth-century London, the company was as starched as the tablecloths. But a revolution was on the horizon, in the form of six remarkable society hostesses who would change the political, social, and cultural landscape of Britain forever.

Some of these “queens of society,” like Lady Sibyl Colefax, were born into high society. Others, like Edinburgh-born Mrs. Ronnie Greville, clambered their way to the top by any means necessary. Lady Nancy Astor and Lady Edith Londonderry were political creatures, becoming, respectively, the first female MP ever elected and the head of the Women’s Legion. Lady Emerald Cunard, meanwhile, cultivated artists and royals, playing a pivotal role in Edward VIII’s relationship with Wallis Simpson and igniting a scandal that would shake Britain. And American Laura Corrigan just liked a damned good party—the more extravagant, the better.

In an age when the place of women was uncertain, becoming a hostess was not a chore, but a career choice, and these six women presided over London from their dining tables and salons—charming, scheming, and mingling their way through two world wars, the Great Depression, an abdication, a coronation, and an upheaval in class structures that would bring their world to its knees. With a glittering cast of players from the Mitfords to the Mosleys, from millionaires to maharajahs, from film stars to royalty, Queens of Society is the witty, warm, and fascinating story of six women whose influence can still be felt today.