We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.
TELEGRAPH 50 BEST BOOKS OF 2022
‘A sparkling biography of a fascinating woman’ – Lynn Barber, Telegraph *****
‘Gaudoin’s book is revealing and hugely entertaining. Highly recommended.’ – Daily Mail
‘Gaudoin tells these delicious stories with brio’ – Sunday Times
Debutante of the year. Able politician. Femme fatale. Just some of the many labels attached to the irrepressible, controversial Raine Spencer: Countess, socialite and stepmother to Diana, Princess of Wales. But who was the real Raine? What was hidden behind the immaculately manicured public façade and her overwhelmingly negative tabloid image?
From her childhood days as daughter of romantic novelist powerhouse, Barbara Cartland, to Westminster councillor and wife of Earl Spencer, Three Times a Countess recounts Raine’s compelling and glamorous life, revealing her to be a powerful, accomplished woman who, after a tumultuous relationship, reconciled with Diana to become the Princess’s closest confidante and a key witness at the inquest into her death.
To her friends, Raine was shrewd, intelligent, witty and loyal; to her enemies, pushy, overly flamboyant and ruthless. From a career spanning local politics to dealing with the fortunes of Althorp; from taking on the Spencer family estate to her final role as a board member at Harrods, Raine’s life was, by any standards, a success . Yet she could not sway the powerful media narrative which pitted her as ‘the evil stepmother’ at every turn.
A societal whirl of London Seasons, family feuds, politics, pomp and ‘big hair’, Gaudoin’s vibrant history of the Countess sets the record straight once and for all, drawing insight from those who knew Raine most. Three Times a Countess reveals a sophisticated, determined woman whose loyalty knew no bounds and whose cache of secrets would have worried even the most upright of royals.
‘A sparkling biography of a fascinating woman’ – Lynn Barber, Telegraph *****
‘Gaudoin’s book is revealing and hugely entertaining. Highly recommended.’ – Daily Mail
‘Gaudoin tells these delicious stories with brio’ – Sunday Times
Debutante of the year. Able politician. Femme fatale. Just some of the many labels attached to the irrepressible, controversial Raine Spencer: Countess, socialite and stepmother to Diana, Princess of Wales. But who was the real Raine? What was hidden behind the immaculately manicured public façade and her overwhelmingly negative tabloid image?
From her childhood days as daughter of romantic novelist powerhouse, Barbara Cartland, to Westminster councillor and wife of Earl Spencer, Three Times a Countess recounts Raine’s compelling and glamorous life, revealing her to be a powerful, accomplished woman who, after a tumultuous relationship, reconciled with Diana to become the Princess’s closest confidante and a key witness at the inquest into her death.
To her friends, Raine was shrewd, intelligent, witty and loyal; to her enemies, pushy, overly flamboyant and ruthless. From a career spanning local politics to dealing with the fortunes of Althorp; from taking on the Spencer family estate to her final role as a board member at Harrods, Raine’s life was, by any standards, a success . Yet she could not sway the powerful media narrative which pitted her as ‘the evil stepmother’ at every turn.
A societal whirl of London Seasons, family feuds, politics, pomp and ‘big hair’, Gaudoin’s vibrant history of the Countess sets the record straight once and for all, drawing insight from those who knew Raine most. Three Times a Countess reveals a sophisticated, determined woman whose loyalty knew no bounds and whose cache of secrets would have worried even the most upright of royals.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
Tina Gaudoin sets out to rehabilitate Raine as a far more nuanced woman, an insouciant, sexy survivor uncredited for her many achievements . . . A colourful life.
Wonderful. A great friend brought vividly back to life.
An excellent book about a difficult, but life-enhancing woman
Delicious
I lapped up this tale of London seasons, family feuds, politics, big hair and Raine's carpe diem attitude
Gaudoin elegantly depicts the esoteric life of an aristocrat
A sparkling biography of a fascinating woman. *****
Gaudoin's book is revealing and hugely entertaining. Highly recommended.
Enthralling
This book is a vindication, both of Raine herself and of a type of person - of woman - whom it became uncool to value
Perceptively examines the life of one of the twentieth century's original "tough, ambitious women"