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Privilege and Scandal: The Remarkable Life of Harriet Spencer, Sister of Georgiana
A revealing portrait of one of the most glamorous, influential, and notorious members of the Spencer family
Intelligent, attractive, and born into wealth, Harriet Spencer, ancestor of Princess Diana, married Frederick, Viscount Duncannon, at the age of nineteen. But it was her affair with Lord Granville Leveson Gower that resulted in the birth of two children and all but consumed Harriet’s life.
The first comprehensive biography of Lady Harriet Spencer, Privilege & Scandal gives readers an inside look at the British aristocracy during the decadent eighteenth century, while bringing one of the era’s most intriguing women to life.
Intelligent, attractive, and born into wealth, Harriet Spencer, ancestor of Princess Diana, married Frederick, Viscount Duncannon, at the age of nineteen. But it was her affair with Lord Granville Leveson Gower that resulted in the birth of two children and all but consumed Harriet’s life.
The first comprehensive biography of Lady Harriet Spencer, Privilege & Scandal gives readers an inside look at the British aristocracy during the decadent eighteenth century, while bringing one of the era’s most intriguing women to life.
448 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2006
About the author
Janet Gleeson
23 books42 followersJanet Gleeson was born in Sri Lanka and has a degree in both art history and English. She has worked at Sotheby's, as well as at Bonham's Auctioneers, where she headed the Old Master Painting Department. A former art and antiques correspondent for House and Garden and editor for Reed Books, Janet Gleeson has contributed articles to numerous publications, including The Antiques Collector, Country Life, and Apollo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
July 29, 2012
As I've said repeatedly in my reviews, I'm a confirmed Anglophile with a particular love for micro history. I am deeply fascinated by the Georgian/Regency period, & that fact has a lot to do with the Spencer family, particularly Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, & her sister, the less famously written-about Harriet, Lady Duncannon. Her life was every bit as full as Georgiana's, though, & she wrote just as much about it (& was written about, as well). Gleeson does a remarkable job of tracing the story of her various scandals, from her rather unsuccessful marriage, her inveterate gambling, her various love affairs, & even the shadowy existence of her two illegitimate children - especially remarkable considering that her children & family found many of her writings full enough of potential familial humiliation to have heavily censored the ones they didn't outright destroy. Yet more proof that life is way more of a soap opera than most of us ever believe - & that our love of seeing it in the celebrities of our time is far from new.
December 22, 2014
A really intriguing look at the lesser known of the Spencer girls -- Harriet, the sister of Georgiana, and quite a person in her own right. This biography struck the right note with me, and I enjoyed it very much. Recommended for those who loved the film The Duchess, or who have read Amanda Foreman's biography about Georgiana. What really surprised me was how Harriet was related to, or influenced, many of those powerplayers in the Victorian period.
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August 8, 2008
Seeing as I had read the bio of her sister, it seemed only fair to read about Harriet.
Along with her sister Georgiana, Harriet ruled society of Regency England. She fell victim to all of its vices--love affairs, gambling, politics. Involved in the very heart of power, Harriet manipulated, arranged, and negotiated between the Tory and Whig factions.
Fun to read, well documented, and vibrant, this book was incredbily interesting, and gave a lot of insight into both the woman, and her time period.
Also read the book on Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.
Along with her sister Georgiana, Harriet ruled society of Regency England. She fell victim to all of its vices--love affairs, gambling, politics. Involved in the very heart of power, Harriet manipulated, arranged, and negotiated between the Tory and Whig factions.
Fun to read, well documented, and vibrant, this book was incredbily interesting, and gave a lot of insight into both the woman, and her time period.
Also read the book on Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.
November 5, 2017
An excellent, well researched and very readable account of the life of Harriet Spencer, Countess of Bessborough. Sister of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and mother of Lady Caroline Lamb, Harriet was at the centre of British social and political life during the late 18th - early 19th centuries. Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in this period.
September 15, 2017
A good try; but there's no there there.
December 22, 2021
More like 4.5*
This was very well done and Harriet was a fascinating subject. Gleeson, despite being able to lean on Amanda Foreman's work about Georgiana, clearly spent months or years in study and research.
Gleeson did a fabulous job of illustrating Harriet's influence on the politics of the time and also showing the change in womens roles in politics over the course of her life. Harriet was alive through many milestones in history and Gleeson did a excellent job of placing her there and giving context to what was happening at various times.
I thought her depictions of most everyone were nuanced and she was careful to not make people villains of the tale, even though it would be easy to do so in many cases. Harriet and everyone she was involved with were human and had weaknesses and strengths. They certainly lived some wild lives!
The author also did an excellent job at keeping this as a biography of Harriet as herself, not Harriet, Georgiana's sister.
This took a couple chapters before I felt the author hit her stride, but then the rest of the book was really well done and kept my interest throughout.
This was very well done and Harriet was a fascinating subject. Gleeson, despite being able to lean on Amanda Foreman's work about Georgiana, clearly spent months or years in study and research.
Gleeson did a fabulous job of illustrating Harriet's influence on the politics of the time and also showing the change in womens roles in politics over the course of her life. Harriet was alive through many milestones in history and Gleeson did a excellent job of placing her there and giving context to what was happening at various times.
I thought her depictions of most everyone were nuanced and she was careful to not make people villains of the tale, even though it would be easy to do so in many cases. Harriet and everyone she was involved with were human and had weaknesses and strengths. They certainly lived some wild lives!
The author also did an excellent job at keeping this as a biography of Harriet as herself, not Harriet, Georgiana's sister.
This took a couple chapters before I felt the author hit her stride, but then the rest of the book was really well done and kept my interest throughout.
December 30, 2022
Well, the author is clearly a fangirl of Harriet, and cannot seem to find any fault with her. Even if I were willing to believe in Harriet's intelligence, given very little evidence therefor, she was a profligate gambler, indulged in numerous extra-marital affairs, and gave birth to several illegitimate children. Two of them, a son and daughter by Granville Levinson-Gower, were brought up by their father and his wife, who was Harriet's niece (to keep it all in the family).
She is on the Continent as the French Revolution is turning into a European war. There are difficulties for travelers trying to get home as armies are moving all over the place, but nothing about the meaning of these events. As a loyal Whig and Foxite, she opposes war with France, but if she has any reasoned opposition, it does not appear to be of importance to her.
Ultimately, a depressing book about a wasted life.
She is on the Continent as the French Revolution is turning into a European war. There are difficulties for travelers trying to get home as armies are moving all over the place, but nothing about the meaning of these events. As a loyal Whig and Foxite, she opposes war with France, but if she has any reasoned opposition, it does not appear to be of importance to her.
Ultimately, a depressing book about a wasted life.
October 27, 2021
Біографія Гаррієт Спенсер, сестри знаменитої Джорджіани. Хоч і люблю я такі біографії, але ця йшла зі скрипом, бо якась нудна вона, чи що. Автор хоч і намагається показати героїню з усіх боків, але все одно виходить нуднувато. Все як у всіх у вищому суспільстві тієї пори, картярські борги, позашлюбні звязки, подорожі і народження дітей - і от не знаю чому, але в декого це надзвичайно цікаво, а в Гаррієт викликає відчуття just another one. Хоча деякі подробиці цікаві, про її доньку Кароліну, закохану безтямно у Байрона. А ще була одна позашлюбна (від світського лева і блискучого політика, який з її відома одружився з її небогою, і та теж була в курсі) - і нею Гаррієт усе життя піклувалася, але так ніколи і не призналась, що мати, а не лише благоволителька.
August 24, 2019
I enjoyed reading about the life of Harriet Spencer. I had only read about her in relation to her more famous sister. She certainly led quite a life! The author did a good job of detailing and explaining her life. I appreciated her clarifying which people she was writing about when several of them shared first names. This was a very interesting biography!
February 5, 2021
An interesting read detailing the life of Harriet Duncannon, sister to Georgiana duchess of Devonshire. Like her sister she was a political animal, serial adulterer and compulsive gambler. All of this led to a life lived on the edge.
May 15, 2020
This was a tough read which surprised me. I was very interested in the subject!
October 27, 2007
This should actually be more like two and a half stars. I can't bring myself to give it three, because I can't really say I liked the book, though I did find it extremely interesting.
I think that the author at times shows an unswerving loyalty to Harriet at the expense of some of the other people in her life. There are times when she seems to be trying to portray Harriet in a favorable light no matter what. I think this leads to some letters being over-interpreted, with too much added and assumed. Of course I am not a scholar of Harriet or her writings, so I don't have the insight that this author does, but the level of interpretation on the letters seems to vary quite a bit (some are taken at face value while others are taken to mean exactly the opposite of what they say).
The other drawback to this book in my opinion was some of the over-dramatic writing used by the author. It probably came from the style of the letters and other writings she was working with having a similar "flair," but I found it distracting.
I enjoyed reading about Harriet's involvement in the politics of her day. Harriet nurtured her own political opinions and acted on them throughout her life, even when the "great love of her life" (Granville) didn't approve of any woman even thinking about politics. Granville wrote, "A woman has no business at all with politicks, or... if she thinks at all about them, it should be at least in a feminine manner as wishing for the peace and prosperity of her country." (p. 172) (Which made me think of beauty pageant contestants wishing for "world peace.")
Harriet loved her family and would do anything for them. One of my favorite parts of the book was when she discovered that her son Frederick had been gravely wounded at the battle of Waterloo. "Harriet reached Frederick seven days later; having raced across Europe and braved Cossacks, Prussions, and Austrian troops, she had beaten the post by two days." (p. 345)
In the final letters in the book, Harriet seems to be remembered by her contemporaries for her great intelligence as well as her devotion to her family and her many friends. I think that the focus of this book was a little skewed toward the scandalous parts of her life and not where her real legacy lies.
I think that the author at times shows an unswerving loyalty to Harriet at the expense of some of the other people in her life. There are times when she seems to be trying to portray Harriet in a favorable light no matter what. I think this leads to some letters being over-interpreted, with too much added and assumed. Of course I am not a scholar of Harriet or her writings, so I don't have the insight that this author does, but the level of interpretation on the letters seems to vary quite a bit (some are taken at face value while others are taken to mean exactly the opposite of what they say).
The other drawback to this book in my opinion was some of the over-dramatic writing used by the author. It probably came from the style of the letters and other writings she was working with having a similar "flair," but I found it distracting.
I enjoyed reading about Harriet's involvement in the politics of her day. Harriet nurtured her own political opinions and acted on them throughout her life, even when the "great love of her life" (Granville) didn't approve of any woman even thinking about politics. Granville wrote, "A woman has no business at all with politicks, or... if she thinks at all about them, it should be at least in a feminine manner as wishing for the peace and prosperity of her country." (p. 172) (Which made me think of beauty pageant contestants wishing for "world peace.")
Harriet loved her family and would do anything for them. One of my favorite parts of the book was when she discovered that her son Frederick had been gravely wounded at the battle of Waterloo. "Harriet reached Frederick seven days later; having raced across Europe and braved Cossacks, Prussions, and Austrian troops, she had beaten the post by two days." (p. 345)
In the final letters in the book, Harriet seems to be remembered by her contemporaries for her great intelligence as well as her devotion to her family and her many friends. I think that the focus of this book was a little skewed toward the scandalous parts of her life and not where her real legacy lies.
August 2, 2013
Harriet's sister, Georgiana, has been more famous over time (see THE DUCHESS, with Keira Knightley), but in their own time, the inseparable sisters were almost equally celebrated. What an extraordinary life she led. Based on her own voluminous correspondence with friends and family, Harriet's life as an 18th century aristocrat was certainly privileged, but filled with emotion and exuberant highs and lows. She and her sister lost fortunes gambling. In the relaxed standards of her time, she carried on affairs with people like the playwright Sheridan, and diplomat Lord Granville Leveson Gower - having two children with him. (He ended up happily married to her niece). She met and disliked Napoleon, met and enjoyed politicians and poets. She was in Paris as the peace of Amiens collapsed, and years later had to flee France during Napoleons return from Elba. She tried to chase Lord Byron away from her daughter, Lady Caroline Lamb, and failed miserably - Caro's obsession with Byron is a scandalous legend. All in all, a fascinating biography of a woman who comes across as amazingly likable through all of her swings of fortune.
September 5, 2011
I was drawn to this book mainly due to the Spencer family as I loved Princess Diana and was interested in discovering her family history. Hardly a commoner, this family was wealthly with huge status and influence with politians and royalty of their day. I would never have guessed from the beginning of this book how Harriet would develop and found it a very revealing sometimes shocking account of life in the 1800's. I often found myself compairing the scandals of todays celebrities paling into insignificance against the gambling, drinking, financial ruin and love lives of this bunch.
A real eye opener but a times I felt uncomfortable reading personal correspondence never intended for publication and wondered if Harriet would be turning in her grave.
A lenghty book which was tedious in places and made Charles and Diana's troubles seem very insignificant in comparison.
A real eye opener but a times I felt uncomfortable reading personal correspondence never intended for publication and wondered if Harriet would be turning in her grave.
A lenghty book which was tedious in places and made Charles and Diana's troubles seem very insignificant in comparison.
August 25, 2016
Oh this was such a beautiful, poignant book that I didn't want to finish. I think it's definitely comparable to the Amanda Forman's masterpiece "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire" - Harriet led a similar life to her more famous sister: involvement in Whig politics, love affairs, hidden illegitimate children, and the gambling - oh man, the gambling... these women had an utter talent for racking up completely ruinous debts. What I found most interesting in this book were the relationships between Harriet and her hot, younger lover (and father of two illegitimate children) and her extremely troubled daughter Caroline Ponsonby, who later married Queen Victoria's first prime minister, Lord Melbourne. Oh and "Lord M" might have been Caroline's own uncle!!!
Seriously, read this book if you're a lover of the 18th century.
Seriously, read this book if you're a lover of the 18th century.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2017
It was a well written book of the most fascinating life of Harriet Spencer. If you think the twenty first century has scandal, think again . My attention was drawn to the complex lives of the aristocracy and the history packed into this book. It is well worth reading, it reads like a fictional novel. Truth is sometime stranger than fiction.
January 1, 2016
An enjoyable look at the life of Georgiana's younger sister Harriet. Unfortunately although Harriet was a great correspondent throughout her life many of her letters were destroyed outright or heavily edited in order to whiten her reputation. As a result the book does run into some generalities but nevertheless it is an interesting account of an aristocratic life at the end of the Georgian period / start of the regency.
Harriet was extremely well-connected socially, married 'well', and had many lovers from the highest society, one of whom went on the marry her niece of the same name. Her daughter was the infamous Caroline Lamb, who may well have ended up marrying her own uncle due to the various affairs of the nobility in this period.
Harriet was extremely well-connected socially, married 'well', and had many lovers from the highest society, one of whom went on the marry her niece of the same name. Her daughter was the infamous Caroline Lamb, who may well have ended up marrying her own uncle due to the various affairs of the nobility in this period.
May 20, 2009
Very interesting read, fascinating life, but it is hard for me to like Harriet. It amazes me how selfish she was. She had numerous affairs and had two children by one of those men, who had to be given up, but that didn't stop her. She was heavily into gambling just like her sister and got into some serious debt along with her husband. Her husband was a strange man. He was so unobservant that he didn't even notice that she was pregnant with the two children that she had with another man. On the other hand, she was very kind to everyone, so she did have good qualities, but her life seems wasted to me. Too much scandal, just like the title of the book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2010
Have read the book on Georgiana Spencer and this was a bit of a repeat obviously. Gleeson has thoroughly researched the topic which made it a bit disappointing when conclusions were reached without proof (so much was footnoted that the larger claims were glaring when they were not proven). For example: "Harriet opened each new letter from her husband, recalled each embarrassing extravagance, and plunged deeper into an abyss of misery, self-hatred, and terror that he would abandon her." Quite a claim, without being substantiated.
Writing, as you see, was great and except for continual sentences telling me that Harriet and/or Georgiana were distraught over their debts it was well-done.
Writing, as you see, was great and except for continual sentences telling me that Harriet and/or Georgiana were distraught over their debts it was well-done.
April 25, 2011
This book is an excellent description of a vibrant, exciting, but flawed woman, who was at the centre of a turbulent society. It explores the world that surrounds the characters portrayed so well in the film 'The madness of King George'. In exploring the life of this intriguing woman; it gives the reader a glimpse of the the animosity that existed between; the king and his son, the Whigs and the Tories and the various other factions that existed within society. Harriet, and her sister Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, played a central role in these
March 3, 2009
Given the scope of the subject, Harriet Spencer was an intimate of Lord Byron (or was he pursuing her daughter? a fraught subject), was present at the battle of Waterloo, and general debauched herself at a court that was reknown for debauchery, this book fell quite flat for me. Perhaps I'm not truly into debauchery or perhaps I prefer it with a spice of wit and intelligence, which the author doesn't seem to capture for our Harriet. Lots of nasty secrets, but they didn't hold my interest. It was hard perservering to the end.
July 18, 2016
When I picked out this book, I was vaguely familiar with the life of Harriet Spencer's sister, Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. I didn't know much about Harriet at all. This book changed that. Harriet was an interesting woman in her own right, and this biography paints a sympathetic portrait of her. I don't think her life was ordinary by any stretch of the word, but it was certainly a good look into how a small portion of the world lived in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
October 20, 2007
This is one of the best biographies I have read. Don't be put off by its size -- yes, it's a long book, but it's also an easy read. Gleeson makes you forget that Harriet is from centuries ago -- she really gets the reader to connect with Harriet and feel for her. Though Harriet is far from perfect, she is extremely easy to like. I highly recommend this book!
December 3, 2015
Though this book is well researched and well written I did not care for it as much as I supposed I would. I learned I am not very interested in the scandalous goings on of the 18th and early 19th century even though they were of the rich, the famous and the remembered of the day. If you like this sort of thing you will love this book if you do not then skip it.
November 2, 2007
This biography is a fun look at the sick world of British nobility. Harriet Spencer's letters to her lovers show that not much has changed since the late 1700s -- affairs, gambling, shopping binges, even paparazzi.
May 26, 2008
The book was not as dry as most biographies tend to be, but it also wasn't quite as entertaining as a non-fiction book by Antonia Fraser. I liked it, but I wasn't loving it and was actually avoiding the book until I decided I would give up on it and find something more interesting.
October 17, 2008
I found this book very entertaining, as well as informative about the lifestyle of the elite of that period. Harriett was a fascinating woman traveling in really interesting circles. I had little idea that women had an active role in politics at that time.
May 19, 2012
The title says it all. This is a great book to read after Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire. Harriet had an interesting (and scandalous -- yay!) life in her own right. You'll also learn what the heck a bathing machine is.
December 8, 2012
Extremely interesting and scandalous life of Harriet Spencer. Having read the book written about her sister Georginia, Duke of Devonshire much of the information overlap; however, one does get insight into Harriet's personality, her many dalliaces and her love and comment to family and politics.
April 25, 2015
I really enjoyed this. What an amazing life. She was able to influence politics despite having virtually no rights as a woman. Yes she was a party girl---but she was also very smart and grasped politics!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews