Unique and engrossing, this is a true story of suppressed passion and domestic intrigue at the heart of Victoria’s court.After an illustrious military career in the Crimean War, during which he won a Victoria Cross, Howard Elphinstone was appointed guardian to Queen Victoria’s favourite son, Prince Arthur, later Duke of Connaught, who was Governor General of Canada from 1911-16. Martyn Downer’s book includes a fascinating account of Arthur’s first trip to Canada in 1869, which took place despite the threat of his assassination by Fenian terrorists intent on revenging the Irish famine. During his eventful tour, Arthur took part in the defence of Canada following the Fenian raid at Saint John in May 1870. With relations between Britain and the United States at low ebb, Elphinstone also took the prince on a controversial tour of America which culminated in a frosty reception from President Ulysses Grant at the White House. Elphinstone remained in Court until 1890 when he was drowned in a tragic accident. During this period he became one of Queen Victoria’s closest confidants and a father figure to her nine children. His journals and remarkable correspondence with the Queen, much of which is published here for the first time, shed fascinating and intimate new light on the world of the Victorian Court. The Queen’s Knight is a captivating portrait of the close and affectionate relationship between Victoria and Elphinstone, and sheds new light on the frail human being at the heart of a vast empire.From the Hardcover edition.

The Queen's Knight

Biographies & Memoirs

Downer, Martyn

Historical

Corgi

Marked and worn dust jacket is now in a protective sleeve, bookseller's pencil marks. Shipped from the U.K. All orders received before 3pm sent that weekday.

Nelson's Purse

Smithsonian Books

Unique and engrossing, this is a true story of suppressed passion and domestic intrigue at the heart of Victoria’s court.After an illustrious military career in the Crimean War, during which he won a Victoria Cross, Howard Elphinstone was appointed guardian to Queen Victoria’s favourite son, Prince Arthur, later Duke of Connaught, who was Governor General of Canada from 1911-16. Martyn Downer’s book includes a fascinating account of Arthur’s first trip to Canada in 1869, which took place despite the threat of his assassination by Fenian terrorists intent on revenging the Irish famine. During his eventful tour, Arthur took part in the defence of Canada following the Fenian raid at Saint John in May 1870. With relations between Britain and the United States at low ebb, Elphinstone also took the prince on a controversial tour of America which culminated in a frosty reception from President Ulysses Grant at the White House. Elphinstone remained in Court until 1890 when he was drowned in a tragic accident. During this period he became one of Queen Victoria’s closest confidants and a father figure to her nine children. His journals and remarkable correspondence with the Queen, much of which is published here for the first time, shed fascinating and intimate new light on the world of the Victorian Court. The Queen’s Knight is a captivating portrait of the close and affectionate relationship between Victoria and Elphinstone, and sheds new light on the frail human being at the heart of a vast empire.

BANTAM PRESS

Following Nelson’s triumph at the Battle of the Nile, he was presented with an extraordinary diamond jewel by the Sultan of Turkey. The chelengk was the Ottomans’ highest reward for gallantry and Nelson the first non-Muslim recipient. He adopted it in his coat of arms and theatrically wore the chelengk on his hat. Breathlessly discussed in the gossip press and depicted in portraits and caricatures, it provoked both ridicule and awe in 18th-century England. This is the remarkable story of one of the most famous jewels in British history, and its journey from Constantinople to London. The chelengk's eventful descent in Nelson’s family ended with its sale by auction in 1895. Secured for the nation by public appeal, it passed to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich from where it was stolen in 1951, never to be seen again. The author turns detective in the hope of finally tracking it down.

Nelson's Lost Jewel: The Extraordinary Story of the Lost Diamond Chelengk

History

Europe

The History Press

Admiral Lord Nelson's diamond Chelengk is one of the most famous and iconic jewels in British history. Presented to Nelson by Sultan Selim III of Turkey after the Battle of the Nile in 1798, the jewel had thirteen diamond rays to represent the French ships captured or destroyed at the action. Nelson wore the Chelengk on his hat like a turban jewel; it became his trademark to be endlessly copied in portraits and busts to this day. After Trafalgar, the Chelengk was inherited by Nelson's family. It was sold at auction in 1895 before ending up at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich where it was a star exhibit. In 1951 the jewel was stolen by an infamous cat-burglar and lost forever. Martyn Downer tells the extraordinary true story of the Chelengk, charting the jewel's journey through history and forging sparkling new and intimate portraits of Nelson, of his friends and rivals, and of the woman he loved.

Leaders & Notable People

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Books by Downer, Martyn

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Downer, Martyn. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Queen's Knight

Nelson's Purse

The Queen's Knight

Nelson's Lost Jewel: The Extraordinary Story of the Lost Diamond Chelengk

Nelson's Lost Jewel: The Extraordinary Story of the Lost Diamond Chelengk