FAMILY DUTY? Consuelo bore the duke his ‘heir and a spare’ to carry on the Marlborough title, but her own marriage was not a success. She was appalled Blenheim was still run like a feudal estate and started out to change things. HOME SWEET HOME? Although Consuelo was used to grand houses, her new home was the “little” love nest of 187 rooms under acres of roof called Blenheim Palace in England. Check out info on this extravaganza by Googling Wedding of the Century on the Smithsonian Channel website under Million Dollar American Princesses. No matter that she was in love with someone else and her new husband disliked America and Americans. Her New York City wedding boasted a 60-piece orchestra, a 54-voiced choir and 4000 guests. THE WEDDING OF THE CENTURY? In 1895, Consuelo wed the 9th Duke of Marlborough, whom she did not love and hardly knew. (Remember Cora, Lady Grantham, in Downton Abbey was a ‘Dollar Bride,’ although she had a happy marriage.) Visit the Smithsonian Channel Series on Million Dollar American Princesses. Consuelo was forced to become a dollar bride.

A DOLLAR BRIDE? Here are Consuelo and her groom on the cover of a book about ‘dollar brides.’ During the Victorian and Edwardian eras (called the Gilded Age in the US) some ultra-wealthy American families married their daughters to British nobility-a British title in exchange for money to rebuilt or enhance huge, aging estates. Visit Karen’s Facebook page for photos from Alaska and England. And her sworn enemies, the Duke of Windsor and Wallace Simpson hope to bring her down.Īmazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Nook Apple Books Kobo GooglePlay But it’s no surprise that Hitler himself calls her the “Most Dangerous Woman in Europe.” For behind that soft voice and kindly demeanor is a will of steel.Įlizabeth holds many powerful cards, but she’s also hiding damaging secrets about her past and provenance that could prove to be her undoing. As the wife of King George VI and mother of the future queen, Elizabeth shows a warm, smiling face to the world. IF YOU LOVE JENNIFER ROBSON OR THE CROWN, YOU WILL LOVE New York Times BESTSELLING AUTHOR KAREN HARPER’S NOVEL ABOUT ELIZABETH, THE QUEEN MOTHER.ġ939.

The Queen's Secret by Karen Harper