Blood Royal: The Story of the Spencers and the Royals

by John George Pearson

The Spencers, like the Windsors, are a dynasty-one of the most successful families that England has produced. But how did a family of Tudor sheep farmers reach the ranks of the upper aristocracy by the time of the Restoration? The Spencers have quietly adapted from one generation to the next, sweeping up heiresses and magnificent estates, buying great libraries and art-then building London's most beautiful Palladian mansion to house them. The Spencers were also virtuosi of a particular art of prime importance to any aristocracy-the art of dynastic marriage. This is the story of how the Spencers attained their power, how they wielded it, and the bitter twist of fate by which they finally achieved their greatest dynastic marriage of all in 1981-the union of Diana Spencer with Charles Mountbatten Windsor.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

292 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

John Pearson was a writer best associated with James Bond creator Ian Fleming. He was Fleming's assistant at the London Sunday Times and would go on to write the first biography of Ian Fleming, 1966's The Life of Ian Fleming. Pearson also wrote "true-crime" biographies, such as The Profession of Violence: an East End gang story about the rise and fall of the Kray twins.

Pearson would also become the third official James Bond author of the adult-Bond series, writing in 1973 James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007, a first-person biography of the fictional agent James Bond. Although the canonical nature of this book has been debated by Bond fans since it was published, it was officially authorized by Glidrose Publications, the official publisher of the James Bond chronicles. Glidrose reportedly considered commissioning Pearson to write a new series of Bond novels in the 1970s, but nothing came of this.

Pearson was commissioned by Donald Campbell to chronicle his successful attempt on the Land Speed Record in 1964 in Bluebird CN7, resulting in the book Bluebird and the Dead Lake.

Pearson wrote the non-fiction book, The Gamblers, an account about the group of gamblers who made up, what was known as the Clermont Set, which included John Aspinall, James Goldsmith and Lord Lucan. The film rights to the book were purchased by Warner Bros. in 2006. He also wrote Façades, the first full-scale biography of the literary Sitwell siblings, Edith, Osbert and Sacheverell, published in 1978.

Pearson also wrote five novels:

Gone To Timbuctoo (1962) - winner of the Author's Club First Novel Award

James Bond: The Authorised Biography of 007 (1973)

The Bellamy Saga (1976)

Biggles: The Authorized Biography (1978)

The Kindness of Dr. Avicenna (1982).

Pearson passed away on November 13, 2021. He was ninety one at the time of his death.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Princess Diana's family is kind of the story of England in a nutshell, at least so far back as the Tudor era goes. The Spencer family had risen to prominence of a sort in Henry VII's day, and maintained a consistent grasp on aristocratic status.

While maintaining an appearance of the Spencer family as royal hangers-on of a sort, Pearson makes a valid point of showing how Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, inherited her mannerisms and sense of history and duty in her short lifetime. I found it interesting for the reasons I already mentioned, especially learning about the women in her family -- Georgiana Devonshire, Sarah Marlborough (who needs to end up in my Lady Badass Category), and many others. There is a bit of dated gendered language in reading this but for sheer information, I don't think there's a more comprehensive book on the Spencer family.

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly feel the whole book is not about Spencers but their possessions especially Althorp Estate and The Spencer House. Those are like museums. Very well written, as one should expect from Pearson.

[Whimsical · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise history of the Spencers from sheep farmers to mother of a future King of England. A great read.

[Ken Sampson · Rating 3 out of 5]

[7 Apr 2000] An interesting and informative read.

[Rachael Hewison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd expressed an interest in reading about European Royal families and my boyfriend taking the hint, bought me this book. I was a little skeptical; I'd never really (aside from being Princess Diana's family) heard of the Spencers and didn't know if there was any interesting stories in their history.

How wrong I was. The Spencers have been involved in British royalty and key historical events right back to the 1500s. They've been disloyal to the monarchy, best friends with the monarchy and a lot of stuff in between. Pearson writes in simply and it feels sometimes as if it's a novel rather than a history book.

Pearson also avoids the trap of confusing the reader as to who is who, especially since a lot of the Earl's are named after each other. The chapters are well structured and it is very easy to follow. The pictures were also a welcome addition.

I thoroughly enjoyed his work and would look to read another one of his.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about the history of the Spencers, Princess Diana's family. A bit dated language-wise, but very well-researched. I would love for either this book to be updated or a new one to be written now that both William and Harry are grown up and starting a family (in William's case).