Britain's 'first modern princess' who paved the way for Diana and Kate: First ever biography of Queen's aunt Princess Mary charts how she became a nurse and the first female chancellor of a university
- The Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess is set to be released on February 5
- It presents the royal as the 'princess who redefined the role for the modern age'
- Princess Mary was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary Although she was the daughter, sister and aunt of monarchs, Princess Mary has largely been neglected in the national memory.
But a new biography, the first one to be dedicated solely to the Princess Royal, hopes to change that by finally offering a detailed look at her life as well as never previously known information.
The Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess, set to be released on February 5, presents the British royal as the 'princess who redefined the role for the modern age', laying the foundations for the likes of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Duchess of Cambridge.Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, was the first child of a British monarch to train and work as a nurse, the first female chancellor of a university and the first female honorary General of the British Army, according to Tatler.
Her memoir also looks at her marriage to Viscount Lascelles of Harewood House in West Yorkshire, which despite being portrayed as troubled in the 2019 Downton Abbey film, was in fact a loving match, according to author Elisabeth Basford.
Although she was the daughter, sister and aunt of monarchs, Princess Mary (pictured in around 1910) has largely been neglected in the national memory
But a new biography, the first one to be dedicated solely to the Princess Royal (pictured during her work as a nurse, circa 1914), hopes to change that by finally offering a detailed look at her life as well as never previously known information
From left To right, the Prince Of Wales, later Edward VIII, Prince Henry, the Duke Of Gloucester, Princess Mary, Princess Royal And Countess Of Harewood, King George V, Prince Albert, later George VI, Queen Mary, and Prince George, Duke Of Kent
In her book, Ms Basford writes: 'Despite [Princess Mary's] Victorian beginnings, she strove to make a princess' life meaningful, using her elevated position to help those less fortunate and defying gender conventions in the process.'
Princess Mary was the third child and only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, born at Sandringham in 1897 during Queen Victoria's reign.She was the fifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth and witnessed six sovereigns in her lifetime - including the ascension to the throne of her niece, Princess Elizabeth, in 1953.
Her two older brothers were Prince Edward (later Edward VIII who abdicated over his marriage to Wallis Simpson in 1936) and Prince Albert (later King George VI).
While her younger siblings were Prince George, Duke of Kent, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince John, who had epilepsy and autism and died aged 13 in 1919 from a severe seizure.
The Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess, set to be released on February 5, presents the British royal (pictured with her mother Queen Mary) as the 'princess who redefined the role for the modern age', laying the foundations for the likes of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Duchess of Cambridge
Princess Mary (pictured), the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, was the first child of a British monarch to train and work as a nurse, the first female chancellor of a university and the first female honorary General of the British Army
During the Second World War, Princess Mary threw herself into charitable work and trained as a paediatric nurse, later working at Great Ormond Street.
She asked her father to be permitted to work there in 1918, for her twenty-first birthday gift and was taken to the hospital every morning by carriage.
Her brother Prince Edward, who was known as David, reportedly said it was 'a shame she was not heir to the throne as she is far cleverer than me.'
Another of her projects during the war was Princess Mary's Gift Fund which sent £100,000 worth of Christmas presents to soldiers and sailors in 1914.
A Princess Mary Gift Tin containing cigarettes, tobacco, a pipe and a lighter was sent to 2.5million men fighting on the frontline.
The royal's (pictured, circa 1920) memoir also looks at her marriage to Viscount Lascelles of Harewood House in West Yorkshire, which despite being portrayed as troubled in the 2019 Downton Abbey film, was in fact a loving match, according to author Elisabeth Basford
She was also controller commandant of the Auxiliary Territorial Service during the Second World War and toured the country to visit wartime canteens and welfare facilities.
However, despite Princess Mary's goodwill and progressive attitude, the avid jewellery collector's childhood wasn't the happiest.
It was said by a courtier of her ice-queen mother, Mary: 'Her Majesty hates the whole business of childbirth, from the act which inspires it to the deed itself, and the product of the act and deed.'
Life at Princess Mary's childhood home in York Cottage, Sandringham, was cramped and slightly spooky - one room was preserved as a shrine to Prince Albert Victor, her father's elder brother, who would have become king if he hadn't died at the age of 28.
But still, the princess's fascinating archive does include letters from George V and Queen Mary calling her 'darling little butterfly' and speaking about how sorely they miss her.
Princess Mary (pictured) was the third child and only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, born at Sandringham in 1897 during Queen Victoria's reign
While her brothers wanted to marry swiftly to escape their strict father, Princess Mary clung to spinsterhood - partly because her mother wanted her at home and also because it was difficult to find the right kind of man to marry a king's daughter.
However, at the age of 24 she married 39-year-old Viscount Lascelles, heir to Harewood House at Westminster Abbey, which attracted large crowds and was broadcast on Pathe News in 1922.
The Queen Mother was one of her bridesmaids and it was the first royal wedding to be covered in Vogue magazine.
Her marriage to Lascelles was a match that lasted, with the pair sharing two children, and the author said Princess Mary was left 'utterly bereft' following his death in 1947.
The Princess Mary: The First Modern Princess, above, set to be released on February 5
But while the Princess Royal could've quite easily retired from public life to become an affluent aristocrat's wife instead, Ms Basford, claims it was her strong sense of duty that moved her to continue her public engagements for the next 40 years.
For years she campaigned for improvements in girls' education, becoming chancellor of the University of Leeds in 1951, and served as patron of more than 50 charities and organisations by the time she died of a heart attack, aged 67, in 1965.
After the war she continued carrying out official work for the royal family, including the independence celebrations of Trinidad and Tobago in 1962 and of Zambia in 1964, and gave blood publicly in 1941 to encourage other donors.
Her sense of duty was so prominent that she was left conflicted over the abdication crisis of 1936, according to the biography, which looked at previously unpublished letters and diaries as well as the royal archives.
An 'inveterate letter writer', Princess Mary kept in devoted contact with her brothers and thanks to this, Ms Basford found evidence of the royal's shock following David's abdication, The Times reported.
On December, 21, 1936, Princess Mary wrote to her brother: 'My Darling David, I have been thinking of you so much especially these last weeks…
'I am amazed at your leaving everything, but it is difficult often to understand someone else's feelings, particularly one's own relations. I am hoping you do not feel very lonely and cut off.'
Ms Basford said that the note showcased the sister's ability to 'hate the sin, not the sinner' and exposed her loyalty to her brother despite disapproving of his neglect of duty.
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