English journalist and author Andrew Morton will discuss his new book, “Elizabeth and Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters,” in an online event hosted b the Pasadena Public Library on Saturday, April 17, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Published in March, “Elizabeth and Margaret” tells of how the princesses were the closest of sisters and the best of friends, and how, when their uncle Edward VIII decided to abdicate the throne, the dynamic between them was dramatically altered. Forever more, Margaret would have to curtsey to the sister she called “Lillibet,” and bow to her wishes.
Elizabeth would always look upon her younger sister’s antics with a kind of stoical amusement but Margaret’s struggle to find a place and position inside the royal system – and her fraught relationship with its expectations – was often a source of tension. Famously, the Queen had to inform Margaret that the Church and government would not countenance her marrying a divorcee, Group Captain Peter Townsend, forcing Margaret to choose between keeping her title and royal allowances or her divorcee lover.
From the idyll of their cloistered early life, through their hidden wartime lives, into the divergent paths they took following their father’s death and Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne, the book explores their relationship over the years.
Morton offers unique insight into these two drastically different sisters – one resigned to duty and responsibility, the other resistant to it – and the lasting impact they have had on the Crown, the royal family and the way it has adapted to the changing mores of the 20th century.
Morton is one of the world’s best-known biographers and a leading authority on modern celebrity. His groundbreaking 1992 biography, “Diana: Her True Story,” revealed the secret world of Princess Diana. The biography became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller, as did “Monica’s Story,” Morton’s portrait of the young woman behind the blue dress in the Clinton White House.
The winner of numerous awards, including Author of the Year by the British Book Awards and Scoop of the Year by the London Press Club, Morton lives in London and has traveled extensively in the U.S., Canada, and Europe in his research for this biography.
To register for the online event, go to www.cityofpasadena.net/
For more information, call (626) 744-4066.
