Heirs and Graces

A History of the Modern British Aristocracy

Eleanor Doughty

$69.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Hutchinson Heinemann
04 September 2025

British & Irish history; 21st century history: from c 2000 -; Society & culture: general; Social classes

The fascinating inside story of the British aristocracy since the Second World War.

There are fewer than 5000 people who can genuinely claim to be members of the British aristocracy, and yet they loom large in the popular consciousness. We're fascinated by their houses and estates, their lives and loves, their foibles and eccentricities. And we entertain the strong suspicion that, while they may be fellow citizens, they are very far from being People Like Us.

In Heirs and Graces Eleanor Doughty draws on her unparalleled access to a bewildering range of dukes, duchesses, earls and others to create a vivid picture of who they are and how they tick. En route she traces their progress from a post-war era when they and their like were described by one future Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer as 'selfish, depraved, dissolute and decadent' to their diverse current roles as guardians of vast ancestral mansions, farmers, financiers and much else beside. She looks at key rites of passage, from cradle, via boarding school to grave. And she tells stories of their ups and downs, and of the doings of the heroes and villains who fill their ranks.

The result is a wonderfully rich, often amusing, always revealing account of the fortunes of the aristocracy over the past century and a series of fascinating glimpses into what it is like to be an aristocrat in Britain today.

By: Eleanor Doughty
Imprint: Hutchinson Heinemann
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 750g
ISBN: 9781529153040
ISBN 10: 1529153042
Pages: 656
Publication Date: 04 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Eleanor Doughty began her career in journalism at the Daily Telegraph, before going freelance to focus on writing and working at the i newspaper as deputy comment editor. She has written the 'Great Estates' column in the Telegraph since 2017, and specialises in writing about the moneyed and titled classes, in particular country houses and their owners, as well as related pursuits. Her writing appears in the Financial Times, the Spectator, Country Life, The Times and Sunday Times, The Field, and many other publications. When she is not writing, she can be found either on or near a horse, or out with her cocker spaniel.

Reviews for Heirs and Graces: A History of the Modern British Aristocracy

Meticulously researched. An interesting account of the Aristocracy which I thoroughly recommend -- Lady Glenconner A deeply researched and highly entertaining account -- Julian Fellowes