Mistress Manifesto

Saturday, May 30, 2026

PLANNED DOWN TIME NOTICE : MISTRESS MANIFESTO WILL BE "DOWN" AT SOME POINT IN THE NEAR FUTURE

To my regular readers!

After blogging for so many years, it's time to move MISTRESS MANIFESTO to a new theme and format. Although this, and some other adjustments, may happen quickly and easily, a day or so perhaps, I want you to know that I'm preparing for glitches or more time consuming actions. I will be trying to do technology updates bit by bit at first without disappearing from the Internet, but it's likely my tech will have more recommendations....

Missy

READING E-BOOKS for MISTRESS MANIFESTO BLOGSPOT : MISSY SPEAKS

READING E-BOOKS for MISTRESS MANIFESTO BLOGSPOT

Hello Readers!

In December 2016 I finally decided to try reading by e-book. Basically, I've always been a book lover - a book worm - and one who uses libraries, goes to books sales and bookstores and book fairs. I always seems to have two or three books to read at a time. For this blog I like to read at least one well regarded book before choosing my subject matter such as the Mistress of the Month but sometimes I read books that I reject or two or three or four. I also read magazine articles and news on line, including some old archived articles. Then I'm ready to make a decision and take a position.

I've learned over the last few months that there are some true positives for reading by e-book. One is saving me time, though I still do visit my library and read paper. I check to see if a book I want to read is available as an e-book and sometimes after a chapter or so I decide the books isn't appealing and that saves me borrowing or buying it. Another is that I can use the search in Overdrive (my app) to scan the book before I read it to see if there is much reference to the person or subject that I want to learn about. For instance, more than one mistress featured at MISTRESS MANIFESTO has so been in the shadows that you might have to read a few books to find a mention of her name. I know I can count on the book being mine to read for 21 days reading an e - sometimes renewable several times - before I can take notes. I still take notes by hand - sometimes hundreds of pages. I go back to the bookmarked pages when I'm taking notes to see if I still feel the information on those pages is relevant.

Of course books are the work of writers - authors - and really when I reference a book that's more than a year or two old it's like revaluing the work. I look at this blog as a way to introduce my readers to many of these talented, skilled, ambitious, and determined people who have managed to produce an entire manuscript, market it, get agents, get PR, and then - some of them - do that again. As I understand it, the initial push to market a book is when they make it or break it financially.

If there is a mistress you know about that you think would make a good subject, please leave a comment. Any books you'd recommend? That too!

As part of the Google Blogger there are stats. I look at these once in a while and see that many people are reading MISTRESS MANIFESTO on their cell phone. Although some of the most popular posts have "legs of their own" and so take dominance when you use the Internet to find the blog or information about someone of interest to you, I encourage you to seek a bit further, read another month, use the archives to see who else might interest you, because truly, many hours are put into each and every subject!

Thank You For Stopping By!

Missy

Friday, May 29, 2026

ATTENTION

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

WORLD WAR TWO : AGNES KEYSER'S HOSPITAL BOMBED : SHE IS ACCEPTED FULLY BY KING GEORGE V AND QUEEN MARY ENJOYS A FRIENDSHIP WITH THE ROYAL FAMILY

In 192Agnes suffered the loss of her beloved sister Fanny who had been so instrumental in founding and administering the King Edward VII Hospital for officers. However, by the 1920's the hospital was not well enough funded. The location of the hospital was moved again and again as it struggled to survive. In January 1941, when the hospital was back to its original location at Grosvenor Crescent, the house was bombed in an air raid. "Agnes Keyser was never to recover from the shock of seeing her life's work so shattered. (Page 173)

However, she had not only the patronage of the King and Queen and their connections for her life's work - the hospital had provided medical care for hundreds of officers in three wars - but the respect she deserved for her unselfish efforts.

In her old age, the never married and childless Agnes, enjoyed invitations and outings with the Royals.

Excerpt page 173: "The diaries of King George V and Queen Mary confirm that Agnes Keyser was invited to stay at Abergeldie and dine at Balmoral for a few days each year between 1921 and 1935. There she regularly joined the royal family on motor trips and picnics, cutting a rather eccentric figure striding over the heather in a bright mauve suit and an orange wig. Their Balmoral garden walks were a special delight for Agnes at the king described his plans for a new pansy garden and alpine feature that was to evolve as ' Queen Mary's Garden'. .... Sister Agnes could be relied upon to enliven the Balmoral conversation by repeating, not always with useful results, the talk of the town. Agnes' gossip was said to include tidbits about the current indiscretions of the Prince of Wales; in this Agnes was deemed a part of an 'intelligence network' said to include Princess Victoria (King George's unmarried sister.)

Agnes moved to the countryside due to the bombings and declining health and passed in May of 1941. She left a personal estate of only 68,272 pounds. Her will provided that her property that had been used as the hospital and 25,000 pounds to continue as the hospital. Small bequests such as personal items were distributed.

Excerpt pages 174-175 : ..."To Queen Mary she left two tables from her dining room at 16 Grosvenor Crescent, to Princess Mary (The Princess Royal) she left her "Elephant" cigarette lighter which King Edward VII had given her.... To Florence, Lady de la Rue, went the gold purse gifted to her by King George and Queen Mary and the gold cup given by Edward VII....

Note: Upon reading this I'm a bit surprised to learn that the King had gifted her some valuable treasures.

Monday, May 25, 2026

AGNES KEYSER DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR : THE KING EDWARD VII HOSPITAL FOR OFFICERS EXPANDED TO THE HOMES OF THE PEERAGE

Agnes Keyser maintained her social position and busied herself at the hospital she and her sister had founded and the King had been the patron of. After his death, King Edward VII's son, King George V became the patron of King Edward's VII Hospital for Officers. The hospital that had treated officers injured in the war in South Africa now cared for the injured of World War I.

Excerpt page 144: "For Agnes Keyser the First World War was to bring a great increase in the work and expansion of her hospital. Now many of Agnes' and Alice's mutual friends were opening up their homes for the hospital's overflow of sick and wounded officers. Agnes had succeeded in negotiating the use of several houses in London's Belgravia which belonged to such as Mrs. Rupert Beckett, Sire Walpole Greenwell, Lady Maxwell, Mr. Pandelli Ralli and Mrs. Clarence Watney. An added cachet was given to all these owners by visits to their properties by King George and Queen Mary to see the patients. A fleet of special ambulances was also organized to meet hospital trains and ships to bring the wounded officers to the hospital.

The war effort was tremendous. Many owners of estates opened their homes for the same purpose. There was the British Red Cross and the order of St John of Jerusalem combined to form th Joint War Committee to carry out charity work. Many society women got involved. Alice Keppel did.

A historical note from AI and Wikipedia: On July 17, 1917, King George V officially changed the British royal family's name from the German-sounding Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the British-sounding Windsor. Driven by intense anti-German sentiment during World War I, this decision was also meant to distance the monarchy from its German roots and the Kaiser. The King's cousin was Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II decreed that her descendants (not in the direct line of succession) would bear the surname "Mountbatten-Windsor"

Friday, May 22, 2026

A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD ME

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

KING EDWARD VII DIES : AGNES KEYSER GOES INTO MOURNING : ALICE KEPPEL MUST WITHDRAWL - AGNES KEYSER'S DISCRETION MEANS AN INVITE TO THE FUNERAL

He had been smoking and coughing and falling asleep sitting up but had continued to get up each day to fulfill whatever Royal Duties he still could... He was with Alice Keppel at a hotel in Paris. His wife, Queen Alexandra, was on a cruise in the Mediterranean. They both knew he was dying. The day of his death in London, he had a cigar, saw an old friend, had a winning horse at Kempton Park, but the King also fainted twice and then fell into a coma.

Excerpt pages 129-130: ..."Before he passed into a final comatose state Queen Alexandra gave instructions that any close friends he wished to see should be allowed to visit the king. Out of this invitation Alice Keppel was to build a curious story, her version of which she was to assert for the rest of her life.

Agnes claimed she was "summoned" by the Queen to see the dying King Edward VII. Many, including courtiers, say otherwise.

Excerpt page 130: During the last days of the king's life, Alice was frantic. She knew that her lover was dying and asked to be with him. The queen had not sent for her, although, according to Sir Francis Laking, Alice had been a constant visitor to Buckingham Palace before the Queen came back from the Mediterranean. Alice played what she thought was her trump card - she sent the Queen the letter that the King had sent her at the time of his appendix operation in 1902 which had said that if he was dying he was certain that the Queen would allow Alice to come to him. The letter, and a further wish of the King's that Alice be invited, persuaded the Queen to allow Knollys (the King's private secretary) to contact Alice.

Alice did go to the King but she also lied that the King had asked the Queen to kiss Alice - to unite in his last hours. Alice also said that he had asked that the Royal Family look after her after his death, suggesting she expected ongoing money. Rather a witness said that the Queen shook hands with Alice and suggested that she had always been a good influence over him. Actually, she might have said that sarcastically, as reportedly Alice ran from the room and was in hysterics. In actuality the King barely recognized people at this point in his dying process.

Alice knew that she would be swamped with publicity, and so she fled to a friend's with her entourage. She was in deep grief. But she did the best thing she could to guard her position in society and went to sign a public book of condolences, as if she were just one of many people to give her regards. She found herself snubbed by the new King, Wilhelm II, who disapproved of her and would not receive her.

But Agnes Keyser and her family were acceptable.

Excerpt page 133 -134: Agnes Keyser's mourning was to be discreet, Alice Keppel's depressive and demonstrative. Leading up to the state ceremonial on 20 Ma6y there was a three-day-lying-in-state at Westminster Hall, before interment at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. Keppels were to play a prominent part in the funeral cortege. ..... From Marlborough House, the new King's private secretary Sir Arthur Bigge wrote to the Duke of Norfolk that it was the monarch's wish that Agnes and Fanny Keyser were to be allocated seats for the funeral service at Stl George;'s Chapel, Windsor.