The Queen of Romance

on purpose, ultimately killing himself. This left Serena's fate in the hands of the man her father lost to, Lord Justin Vulcan, who she'd been told was simply the worst sort of rake. She swore she could never fall in love with a man like Lord Vulcan, but after he invited her to come live at his estate, Man Drake, the two come to form an unlikely bond, but they also had to contend with Justin's scheming mother, highwaymen, gamblers, and smugglers before the two of them could admit their feelings.

In case you haven't realized, that is, of course all a work of fiction, a historical romance written long before any of the Bridgeton's stepped into their semi anachronistic shoes. Published in nineteen forty nine, A Hazard of Hearts was just one of over seven hundred works published by Dame Barbara Cartland, otherwise known as the Queen of Romance. Her work earned her many fans of all ages, including a young Diana Spencer, who would eventually become both the Princess

of Wales and Barbara's own step granddaughter. Despite not being born with a title, Barbara would run in noble circles her entire life, including her connections to her dearest friend, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, Prince Philip's uncle, and other men of high birth that she would allege were the potential

true fathers of her daughter. To this day, Barbara continues to hold her spot as the fifth most translated author worldwide, thanks to the success of novels like A Hazard of Hearts, as well as The Cruel Count, The Angel and the Rake, and my personal favorite title, The Marquise Who Hated Women, all featuring fantastically illustrated covers that are, as best as I can describe them, buttoned up bodice rippers. More on the purity later, though some of those novels were even

adapted into films. A Hazard of Hearts was made for television in nineteen eighty seven, featuring a fresh faced Helena Bonham Carter in one of her first major roles as the unlucky Angenoux Serena. A print ad for the film read quote, he captured her body with force, he freed her soul with passion. That is more often and not a general theme in Barbara's novels. An innocent girl is caught up in a dastardly scheme, but she ultimately makes a good man out of a not so good one.

Barbara certainly did not invent the tropes of the romance novel, but it's not a stretch to say she defined them for an era. Still, we can't say her extensive collection is exclusively one note. Heroiness also include a professional figure skater, a quote lovely young gang leader, and a Scottish spy in the French court watching over a young Mary Stuart, which should delight any of our listeners over on Patreon who have been listening to our recap of the television show Rain. As time went.

Gwenn Robbins authorized biography of Barbara Cartland begins by making something very clear. Quote. Firstly, she is a direct descendant of the oldest Saxon family in existence. End quote. Barbara's mother's ancestor was apparently Thomas de Scovenhol, the High sh Sheriff of Devonshire thirty two years before the Norman conquest. From him, you can trace the family lineage directly to

Mary Hamilton Scobel aka Polly, Barbara's mother. The family faced major upheaval shortly after Barbara was born in nineteen oh one. Her paternal grandparents, the Cartlands, had been suddenly bankrupted when their bank surprise called in immediate payment on a twenty five thousand pound loan that Barbara's grandfather, James, had taken out. That very weekend, Barbara's parents left young Barbara to go visit the distraught grandparents, inviting them to come stay with

the young family. The elder Cartlands refused to leave their home, and James told his daughter in law that he would see her on Monday. On Sunday morning, James Cartland shot himself. His death left his debt to his son, Barbara's father, Bertie. Polly and Bertie's home, Bobrooke, had been verbally given to them by James, but as the title deeds were not in their name, the bank said the house was to be surrendered to pay the overdue loan. The house was put up for sale, along with nearly all of the

belongings in it. Poor I may be, but common I am not, Barbara's mother, Polly declared. While her husband and his mother were said to be incapacitated by the circumstances, Polly found a new home for the family to rent on their three hundred pounds a year income. Bertie, a former officer of the British Army, naturally did not work as would be completely unbefitting of a gentleman of the age, and so that money came from allowances from their respective families.

For forty pounds a year, they moved into a country home in Worcestershire, fit with six bedrooms, a tennis court, stables, and four acres of overgrown gardens. That was where Barbara grew up, and those gardens were where she first invented new worlds. Quote. I never drive through Worcestershire in the spring without the memory of our garden like a pink

and white fairyland, she would reflect as an adult. She recalls listening to the trees and hearing the fairies moving about inside, and she was sure that she saw wings among the flowers. Her first experience with literature was with the novels she could find in her father's study, mainly Dickens, and her mother then began to nurture Barbara's love of

stories by reading her fantasy books. Upon her mother's death years later, Barbara would find amongst the piles of paper her mother had kept the very first short story she had ever written at five and a half years old. But sudden bankruptcy wouldn't be the only upheaval in young Barbara's life. When it became obvious in nineteen fourteen that the country was to go to war with Germany, Bertie

was called up to serve. As he was stationed in different parts of England, the family moved around to stay with friends near him. In nineteen seventeen, Bertie was killed in action. Polly was now a widow and a single mother to three children, Barbara and her two younger brothers. Barbara recalls that her mother adopted a stricter sense of discipline during that time, but it was always clear that

she did everything out of love. Polly had also been something of a surrogate mother to her husband, who needed motivation and guidance throughout his lia adult life, and she was determined that her own children would be self sufficient. Barbara would later reflect quote, Mummy lit a flame in all three of us that was to burn brighter year by year. She made us believe in ourselves and our capabilities. She made us see that anything was possible if we

really wanted it and worked hard enough. Shortly after her father's death, Barbara turned eighteen and left school. During her school years, her love of storytelling only grew. She discovered the romance novels of ethel M. Dell, BERTA. Ruck, and Eleanor Glynn, who was notably quite the scandalous writer of her time. It was actually Dell's influence in particular that

would have the greatest impact on Barbara's career. Barbara's biographer writes, Barbara really believed all heroes should be tall, silent men, seething with burning passions, but passions so controlled that one was not aware of them until they broke down under an overwhelming love. Her leading ladies, on the other hand, should be quote soft, sweet, easily frightened, yet longing to

be dominated by a strong and masculine man. Barbara was a so called plain child, so much so that apparently other mothers pitied Polly, but by this time she had blossomed into something of a classic leading lady herself. Barbara received her first proposal this summer after school, on holiday with her family on the Isle of Wight. He was a colonel over forty years old with a red handlebar mustache. Barbara wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, rushing to

her mother to ask for help. Polly told her daughter, you must learn to look after yourself. It's harsh advice, but falls in line with Polly's desay desire to instill self sufficiency and tenacity within her daughter. Still, when another elderly married this time man, tried to make advances on Barbara that same summer, he was met with Polly's fury. This clown, in turn asked out Polly instead. When asked if any of her suitors that summer attempted to kiss her,

Barbara responded, certainly not. We were not mauled in those days. Our innocence protected us. I was quite determined that the only man who would ever be allowed to kiss me on the lips was the one I would marry. Barbara would have plenty more marriage candidates to consider when she moved to London with the family after that summer break.

She had a small budget for clothes provided by her mother, and she began to experiment with fashionable makeup and hair of the time, all in service of her coming out in society, and Barbara was a hit. Courting in nineteen twenty's London mainly consisted of dinner and dancing, but it was improper for a man and woman to dine alone together, so the woman would have dinner at home while the man dined at his social club before picking up his date later. Once the dancing was done, a taxi would

be called. The driver would stop for a coffee at the green painted stand at the corner of Hyde Park while the young couple sat in the back seat. This was all a dance of its own. The cab drivers would all sit together and chat and play cards while the couples in their back seats scored some convenient alone time. Barbara often sat in these back seats, remembering the quote delicious feeling of anticipation, but mind out of the gutter.

Which she was anticipating was a potential proposal, or just to see if her date would attempt a kiss in the backseat of one of those cabs. Barbara did accept a proposal from a gentleman named Dick Usher, a young officer Polly. Her mother had advised her to wait a month to announce the engagement in the Times, and it was a good thing she did, because Barbara had a question for her mother, How does one have a baby?

unless it was by someone she really loved. Two nights after she broke the news to Dick, they ran into each other at a party, and, feeling sorry for him, Barbara agreed to talk. They took a taxi to the stall at Hyde Park, where Dick proceeded to take out a revolver and he declared, unless you marry me, I

will shoot myself. This was, believe it or not, Barbara's second incident with a loaded gun in her young life, after another army officer had attempted to flirt with her by showing off his weapon and nearly shooting her after incorrectly believing the gun had no bullets left. And to be clear, I promise these are not innu windows. Barbara was able to talk Dick down far enough that he got tired and agreed to take Barbara home, where she rushed through the front door and up to her mother's bedroom.

Dick later wrote a letter to Polly describing his agony. If only I weren't cursed with such a big, big love, it might be easier. But you know that I just worship Barbara with my whole heart and soul and body. That to lose her is worse than a million times. The torture of the damned life was certainly providing Barbara with plenty of material for her future career. In nineteen twenty, Barbara declared to her family one morning over breakfast that

she was going to write a novel. They laughed, You'll never finish it, they said. She started right away. Once she had a few chapters completed, she showed them to her mother, Polly, who offered both criticism and compliments. Polly asked a writer friend over for lunch, where she in turn asked Barbara to read her draft out loud, A personal nightmare for many writers, especially a writer just starting out, but it was apparently a breeze for Barbara. It's very good,

the writer told her. Finish it. Barbara spent three months doing just that. Where many writers also struggle to find their voice, Barbara had internalized her beloved romance novels and knew exactly what she wanted to say and how to say it. Their eyes met reads one of the closing lines of that first novel. Each was conscious of the flame of love and desire within the other explanations words were unnecessary. Barbara called the book Jigsaw and dedicated it

to Polly. It cost seven shillings and sixpence and it became a minor sensation almost immediately. Jigsaw tells the story of the innocent but enchanting Mona, who ends up in a love triangle with a sensible, strong willed duke and a dark and handsome stranger. Mona ultimately chooses the duke as goodness prevails over temptation. This is a good moment to talk about the tropes of Barbara's writing. In her

own words quote, there are two means. One is the impatient, rather aggressive crusader, sometimes overpowersing with a tendency to fight violently for what I believe is right. And the other image I have of myself is sweet, soft, gentle, understanding, perceptive and very feminine. Longing to be protected by a strong masculine man. It is a kind of idealistic, mental and spiritual virginity which I have given my heroines, and

which I have always had myself. End quote Mona Or Barbara has an angel and a devil, so to speak on her shoulder in Jigsaw, the strong but silent Duke Peter and the exciting but dangerous Alec. It brings to mind the Madonna horror complex, which sees women as either saintly or degenerate, never in between. Barbara's heroines are always pure madonnas who seek stability with Peters, and they must reject their inner whore who is driving them toward an

alec or. Sometimes the heroine is so saintly that the leading man will overcome his degeneracy in order to devote himself to her. This episode isn't a book report, but these themes, especially with regards to the way she frames and portrays women and female desire, I think is important when we think about how much Barbara has stated that her heroines represent herself and her morals. Back to Jigsaw's success.

Now a minor celebrity, Barbara was becoming even more popular in the London social scene than she had already been. Her dance card was always full, and she was always present in the gossip columns of magazines like Tattler and other newspapers. At the same time, Barbara had already been secretly writing four gossip columns, gathering tips from her society circles, and she would continue that secret career four years. Can

someone say, Lady Whistle down? These social circles contained various lords and ladies, earls and countesses, and a young Winston Churchill, who Barbara struck up a friendship with. Barbara would get further inspiration for her leading men when she met the Duke of Sutherland. He, like most men Barbara encountered, also fell in love with her, but there was the issue of his already having a wife, and his advances were rejected. When Barbara did decide to marry, it was proposal number fifty.

Alexander George mccorkadale was not one of Barbara's brooding dukes. Rather, he was a British Army officer from Scotland and heir to a printing fortune. He was, however, said to have looked the part of a Cartland hero, dark haired, strong, and yes, of course brooding. The couple were married on April twenty third, nineteen twenty seven. For the wedding, Barbara wore the first tool dress that society had seen since World War One, made by the English designer extraordinary Norman Hartnell,

but designed by Barbara herself. Years later, Barbara would write an article on honeymoons for The Evening News, and although she describes a fictitious young bride in the article, there was truth to her own experience quote. She the fictional bride dreamed of a strong, silent cave man, a man of deeds but a few words, a man who, underneath a deep reserve, was passionate, commanding, conquering. Finally, she thought

she had found that in her husband. She mistook inertia for reserve, lack of interest for silent strength, and inexperience for hidden passion. She was miserably disappointed. Barbara's marriage would last only five years, but it brought the couple a baby, girl, Rain mccorkidale. In September of nineteen twenty nine, Barbara's mother in law implored her to give up her career and stop writing her quote immoral novels, but she had no

intention of doing that. Not only did Barbara continue her literary career as a mother, but she took on new ventures, including advocating for better public health awareness. After her daughter reign inexplicably fell nearly fatally ill, and Barbara also became interested in aviation advancements. Particularly, she was interested in recent innovations in gliding, and she worked with two inventors to

deliver the first air mail cross country via glider. When the project was complete, it was of course christened the Barbara Cartland Glider. Her experiment proved to be essential to further designs and had an impact on the air mail system during the Second World War, so much so that in nineteen eighty four she was awarded the US Bishop Wrights Air Industry Award. While Barbara continued to explore her new career ventures and interests, she faced difficulties at home.

In the early nineteen thirties, while her husband was away, Barbara came across a series of love letters in another woman's handwriting. Instead of confronting her husband directly the next morning, she took her findings straight to his parents. Upon returning from his trip, her husband went straight to their home and refused all requests to see or speak to his wife. The social circles Barbara had once been the darling of

were now beginning to shun her as a divorcee. The Matrimonial Causes Act that allowed for either spouse to petition for divorce on the basis of adultery had only just been adopted in nineteen twenty three, a decade earlier, and the upper echelons of British society were never the ones

to quickly adopt progressive mindsets. The Countess of Pembroke forbade Barbara from helping her arrange a charity ball, which was ironic considering the Earl of Pembroke had just run away with another woman and was at the moment begging his wife for a divorce. It should also be noted though Barbara may not have been entirely faithful during the marriage either.

This claim must be taken with a grain of salt, as it was reported in The Daily Mail posthumously as a conversation that happened off the record, but she allegedly told a journalist that she had a number of lovers who could even potentially have been Rayne's real father, including her prototypical hero, the Duke of Sutherland and Prince George, the Duke of Kent. Barbara would go on to have two more children, both sons, with a second husband, her

ex's cousin, Hugh mccorkydale. They had been friends and he became something of a rock for Barbara during the years following the divorce. Darling, I am getting older, reads a letter from Hugh to his future wife. Yet you, the loveliest creature God ever made, loves me and wants to marry me. It's so wonderful, I can't believe it's true. The couple would have twenty seven years together before Hugh passed due to a heart condition, but he would be

the great love of Barbara's life. The couple were married in nineteen thirty six, by which point Barbara had begun to publish around two novels a year. Throughout all of those events I discussed, and all of the events I will discuss, it is safe to say that Barbara was writing through them. Barbara would continue to publish throughout the nineteen forties, but once again she was forced to live through a World war, and once again she would lose

family in the fighting. This time, both of her brothers died in Dunkirk. As daily life in London got more perilous, Barbara and her children left for Canada at the invitation of a friend, but Barbara soon decided she had made a mistake and that she and her family should return to England, where her husband, Hugh had remained. She wanted to help however they could. She would become the chief Lady Welfare Officer to the Services in Bedfordshire, which often

meant improving the lives of local women. Some of her aid came in the form of getting the service women better material for their clothing, helping them feel more beautiful, and some of it came in the form of helping local pregnant women or women going through divorces. As the only female welfare officer, she was in a unique position

to understand problems that were often overlooked by men. By all accounts, she was excellent at her job, but it seems like an odd fit when you consider that Barbara publicly stated numerous times that she did not care for women in general and had very few women friends in her life. As the war ended, Barbara became even more devoted to her writing, finishing her thirtieth novel and resuming

her journalistic career. In nineteen forty eight, inspired by her daughter's first extravagant wedding, Barbara responded to a request from a woman's magazine that implored her to write a historical romance. That book would be Hazard of Hearts, and it would change the course of Barbara's career. Until that point, her stories had been modern, but the more she researched, the

more she discovered her love of history. It also didn't hurt that one of Barbara's primary values, a woman being a virgin, had been even more valuable in the days of yore. In nineteen fifty, Barbara and her family moved to Camfield Place, a country estate built by Edmund Potter, grandfather of Beatrix Potter. Its gardens actually gave birth to Peter Rabbit, just as the gardens of Barbara's childhood home

had been the original source of her imagination. That same year, Barbara faced a plagiarism allegation from one of her original inspirations, Georgette Hayre Hayer, alleged that Hazard of Hearts replicated character names and plot points from a number of her novels, but the case never went to court, so we'll never know exactly what went down. Over the next decade, Barbara would continue to produce an astonishing number of novels, and by the sixties there was a devoted market of British

women eagerly awaiting every publication. By the early seventies, Barbara had sold fifty million books. As the decade went on, she would produce on average two books a month. Her afternoons consisted of dictating her writing to her secretaries. She could average seven thousand words in accession, which usually lasted a few hours. Her secretaries were not permitted to sneeze or cough while Barbara dictated from the couch with a hot water bottle at her feet and her dog cuddled

next to her. This would be her routine for the rest of her life. In nineteen seventy six, Barbara's daughter Rain married Earl Spencer, the father of Diana. However, when Rain fell for the Earl, she was already married with four children. It's like one of your books, she apparently told her mother. I am wildly in love and there's

nothing anyone can do about it. Sixteen year old Diana had grown up a fan of her new step grandmother's novels, and one of the princess's biographies claims that Cartland used to send her advanced copies even before they became family. There's a really great picture of a young Diana reading one Cartland novel while two other books sit on her lap, and we can only imagine she's dreaming about her own romance one day with a duke, or an earl, or

even a prince. Rain, as Princess Diana scholars might know, was hated by Diana and often referred to by Diana and her siblings as Acid Rain. Their relationship was incredibly strained for most of her life, although they would mend things shortly before Diana's tragic death. Even before Diana became family, Barbara had another royal connection, a long intimate friendship with Lord Mountbatten of Burma, Prince Philip's uncle, who even helped her write one of her romances, Love at the Helm,

by providing her information from his naval background. Barbara did not attend the eventual royal wedding between Diana and Charles, but she insists it was not a snub that she instead gave up her seat so that her son Ian could go instead. Still, Barbara would only gain more tabloid attention from her association with the princess at a time when her books were already becoming more popular than ever.

After all, what was Diana but a Cartland character come to life, a young woman swept away by a romance with a prince. The nineteen sixties saw censorships being lifted that allowed for racier material to now be published, but a boom of pornography meant that for many the pendulum of taste would swing the other way, and publishers saw

a major market for Barbara's virginal heroines. The debate between erotica and romance was best exemplified in a nineteen eighty seven TV appearance from Barbara, where she appeared alongside the novelist Jackie Collins, whose hit book The stud exemplified for Cartland. Everything wrong with romance? It's evil, really, Barbara began, what Collins asks, the book books you write quite frankly. Collins replies that she doesn't believe there's anything evil about writing

about sex, something so natural. But Barbara is having none of it. Don't you think it has helped perverts? She asks, and worries about the book's influence on children. The YouTuber Contrapoint in her video on Twilight actually discusses that debate, describing it as quote surreal to watch a quote eighty year old woman in clown drag lecture an audience about sexual purity. Since this is an audio medium, I leave it to you to watch the debate for yourself and

decide if that description is apt. Barbara's crusades in her older age didn't just stop at bashing what she saw as immoral erotica. She campaigned for purity for women, promoting religious morality, as well as writing an article where she expressed her worries that books published by gay man's press

could quote easily pollute children's minds. In response, The Gay Times wrote, quote, given the garbage that Cartland turns out, I would think that GMP are quite happy to be in a different league, youch There's a quote from Cartland that's in Robin's biography that reveals a sad truth. Cartland says marriage is the best investment that was ever invented for women. It's a security against their old age, against them being deserted after losing their looks and becoming unattractive.

To throw away all that when you are young and foolish is very reckless end quote. Even as the Sexual Revolution and the Equal Rights Amendment began to gain traction, Barbara held onto the security of tradition and shamed the women who did not. It's incredible in a way that a woman who would sell millions of copies of books with a sizeable income would still see the greatest security in her old age as still being wanted or tolerated

by a man. While the world was progressing in a way that frankly horrified her, Barbara could always write about a past she believed was exemplary. In the nineties, Barbara published her five hundred and sixty fifth book, breaking the record for the greatest number of books ever written by

British authors. By then, in her nineties, Barbara was still churning out novels, and in nineteen ninety one, apparently after years of complaining that she never received even a quote measly mbe, she was made a Dame for her contribution to literature and for her work in the community and with charities. In two thousand, at the age of ninety eight, Barbara died in her sleep, in her home. Her official website states that over her career, she wrote seven hundred

and twenty three novels. She also left behind a series of one hundred and sixty unpublished novels, which were later published by her son Ian as the Barbara Cartland Pink Collection. Barbara believed in reincarnation and was not afraid of death. Quote. I've had a wonderful life with ups and downs, tears and laughter, but so much kindness, so much happiness, so much love, she told her biographer. How could all that be lost? How could the effort, the striving, the sacrifices

be wasted. I believe my faith will make it all come true tomorrow. It's a very romantic thought. That's the story of the particular British icon Dame Barbara Cartland. But keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear one important story I believe about one of her most important hobbies. I could not end this episode without telling you about Album of Love Songs, Barbara's record with the Royal Philharmonic.

Her singing is, let's say, interesting, but the real gems of the album are the spoken word tracks, where she waxes poetic about all things love. It is really the kind of thing you just have to go listen to on your own. I could give you my thoughts or I could read you. A YouTube comment from noted critic Lizzie Allen twenty two eighty four quote, OMG, it doesn't get any camper than this. Could not have said it better myself. Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and

Grimm and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me Danish Forts, with additional writing and researching by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zewick, Courtney Sender, Julia Milani, and Armand Cassam. The show is edited and produced by Noemy Griffin and rima Il Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thain and executive producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. Four more podcasts from iHeartRadio visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Ossssssssssssssss