Robert Wainwright Q&A

Allen & Unwin
4 days ago
2 min read

We chat with bestselling author Robert Wainwright about his fascinating biography of a woman ahead of her time.

Nell, the Duchess of Manchester by Robert Wainwright

A&U: Nell, The Duchess of Manchester tells the story of Australia’s first duchess. Can you tell us what made you want to write about her?

RW: Nell Stead is among a number of Australian women I’ve written about who found their way to Europe in the early 20th century and ended leading amazing lives, full of excitement and glamour. Some were leading political and society figures, others entertainers and important social welfare reformers. But as famous as they were in their day, most were forgotten as life changed in the wake of the 2nd World War.

Nell’s story stuck out because of the juxtaposition of being the wife of a duke with all its social trappings and demands but few of its financial comforts. They had three castles but couldn’t afford to live in them.

A&U: What is something you learned about Nell that surprised you?

RW: That she had a delightful, and very Australian sense of human and rebelliousness. The way she dressed - trousers not dresses – or undressed – allegedly naked at a dinner party as well as the way she thought and wrote privately, once noting in her diary about her husband’s erratic driving: “I would rather drive with an echidna.”

A&U: Nell and her husband Alexander’s marriage lasted 40 years despite significant challenges along the way – why do you think they were a good match?

RW: Because they married out of love rather than convenience, as had long been the reason for society marriages. I think financial adversity also drew them together. Despite the titles, both were down to earth people.

A photo of Nell with Lieutenant Viscount Alexander ‘Mandy’ Mandeville — Nell with Lieutenant Viscount Alexander ‘Mandy’ Mandeville (later the 10th Duke of Manchester), clearly besotted on the day of their wedding at Kimbolton, 5 May 1927. Courtesy of Nicholas Hodgkinson-Montagu

A&U: If you could be friends with anyone featured in the book – who would it be and why?

RW: Mandy’s sister, Lady Louise. She was a truly independent and high-spirited woman, a thrill seeker who drove fast cars, learned to fly and rolled her sleeves up to do her bit during the war. Her sudden death was tragic.