The First Lady Diana: The Life of Lady Diana Spencer. - Review - book review

Contemporary Review, July, 2000

The First Lady Diana: The Life of Lady Diana Spencer, 1710-1735. Victoria Massey. London House. [pound]20.00. 256 pages. ISBN 1-902809-01-7. Lady Diana Spencer was the grand-daughter of the famous Duke of Marlborough and was raised by his formidable Duchess. She went on to marry Lord John Russell who later succeeded to the Bedford dukedom.

She lived the life of a great eighteenth century aristocrat both at Woburn and in London and was, like so many eighteenth century figures, devoted to music. Despite the loss of her first child and subsequent miscarriages, again common in her day, she produced an heir to the Bedford title and died when only twenty-five. Through this biography we are led into the world of the great Whig aristocratic families whose domination of English life had begun in the 1688 coup that unseated James II and replaced him with the Dutchman, William III. The author has made great use of the available manuscript material and this work, combined with her obvious sympathy for her subject, make this an 'enjoyable read'.