{"product_id":"the-accidental-duchess-from-farmers-daughter-to-belvoir-castle-paperback","title":"The Accidental Duchess: From Farmer's Daughter to Belvoir Castle - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRutland\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'The Duchess does indeed seem a remarkable woman . . . this is an engaging book' - Lynn Barber, \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Emma Watkins, the pony-mad daughter of a Welsh farmer, imagined her future, she imagined following in her mother's footsteps to marry a farmer of her own. But then she fell in love with David Manners, having no idea that he was heir to one of the most senior hereditary titles in the land. When David succeeded his father, Emma found herself the chatelaine of Belvoir Castle, ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eShe had to cope with five boisterous children while faced with a vast estate in desperate need of modernization and staff who wanted nothing to change - it was a daunting responsibility. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYet with sound advice from the doyenne of duchesses, Duchess 'Debo' of Devonshire, she met each challenge with optimism and gusto, including scaling the castle roof in a storm to unclog a flooding gutter, being caught in her nightdress by mesmerized Texan tourists and disguising herself as a cleaner to watch filming of \u003ci\u003eThe Crown\u003c\/i\u003e. She even took on the castle ghosts . . . \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt times the problems she faced seemed insoluble yet, with her unstoppable energy and talent for thinking on the hoof, she won through, inspired by the vision and passion of those Rutland duchesses in whose footsteps she trod, and indeed the redoubtable and resourceful women who forged her, whose homes were not castles but remote farmhouses in the Radnorshire Hills. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eVividly written and bursting with insights, \u003ci\u003eThe Accidental Duchess \u003c\/i\u003ewill appeal to everyone who has visited a stately home and wondered what it would be like to one day find yourself not only living there, but in charge of its future.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn Emma Watkins, the Duchess of Rutland is the daughter of a farmer from Knighton, Powys. She worked as an estate agent, marketing properties in Worcester, and later as an interior designer. Today, the Duchess runs the commercial activities of Belvoir Castle, including shooting parties, weddings and a range of furniture. She has presented on various television programmes, including ITV's Castles, Keeps and Country Homes, appeared in an episode of Alan Titchmarsh on Capability Brown, and has produced a book about Belvoir Castle. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 2021, the Duchess created a podcast titled Duchess, where she interviews chatelaines of castles and stately homes throughout the United Kingdom. In her podcast's first season, her interviewees included Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill of Blenheim Palace and Lady Mansfield of Scone Palace. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWatkins married David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland, in 1992. The pair have five children.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.02 x 7.72 x 5.04 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 05, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51764145783072,"sku":"9781035002108","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/2a4667e793621d886a1396b6669be951.webp?v=1780243874","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-accidental-duchess-from-farmers-daughter-to-belvoir-castle-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}