Barbara Cartland

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Heralded almost as much for her beauty and intuitive fashion sense as for her writing, Barbara Cartland was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham in 1901. Overcoming the tragic loss of her father, she was raised by her resilient and hard-working mother. Barbara went on to Malvern Girls’ College and then to Abbey house, where her power with the pen was first recognized. Here, she embarked on her prestigious writing career as a society reporter, while spinning her own romance novels on the side.

Taking her celebrity gossip to the Daily Express, she merited her own column, it wasn’t until the publication of ‘Jigsaw’ in 1923 and then the play ‘Blood Money’ in 1926 that she was brandished as risque and improper by Lord Champerlain’s Office. Yet, what those who prided themselves on their reserved morals found distressing, London society ate up. She was a sought after presence, using her inspiration and alluring looks as the muse for designer Sir Norman Hartnell.

Barbara’s own personal life generated a buzz worthy of her column; amidst parties and rumoured affairs, she was married twice and had a daughter, Raine, and two sons, Ian and Glen, from those marriages respectively. Although she gained raving reviews and success in her romance writing such as The Prude and the Prodigal, being titled the ‘Queen of Romance’ from Vogue, her writing took a drastic change after her early works.

Barbara Cartland went on to adopt a rather reserved and conservative style, relying more on historical references and high moral standards. Yet even with her newly reformed religious outlook, she still was cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the 1983 best selling novelists with books such as A Guide to Good Behaviour from the Boudoir to the Boardroom.

In her later years she was both a philanthropist and political activist, fighting for better nursing home care, midwife salary raises, and founded the National Association of Health. While her earlier career was focused on writing and being among high celebrity status, at the time of her death much of her focus was on the welfare of others.