Darling Loosy: Letters to Princess Louise, 1856-1939

x, 325 pp. Corresponding regularly with her mother, brothers and sisters, as well as with her husband, the Marquess of Lorne, and many of the leading artists of the day, Princess Louise has left a vast collection of letters, primarily to her, at Windsor Castle. Invited by the Royal Archive to make a selection of these unpublished letters, which span a period of over eighty years, Elizabeth Longford, distinguished biographer of Queen Victoria, has made a fascinating choice as well as providing a detailed essay on the Princess's life. The letters reveal shifting family affections and allegiances; the difficulties of having Queen Victoria as a mother; the quest for a suitable husband and the controversy over the final choice; Louise's increasing estrangement from her husband (who some claim was a homosexual); her childlessness and delicate health; and her involvement with London's Bohemian artistic society. With 16 pages of black-and-white photographs.