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Jane Dismore is a freelance writer of history and heritage and a biographer. She writes books and features and is a member of the Society of Authors, the Biographers’ Club, the Biographers’ International Organisation and, as a solicitor (now non-practising), the Law Society of England and Wales.  Jane is also an experienced public speaker.  Her literary agent is Andrew Lownie.  

A list of Jane’s most recent published features can be found further down this page.

BUYING JANE’S BOOKS: In these difficult times of Covid-19, if you have a problem buying any of Jane’s books, you may be able to buy a copy from her direct. Please email her at betterprose@mail.com to enquire, saying which country you’re in.

NEWS  Jane’s next book  has been commissioned by The History Press.  It’s called Tangled Souls: Love, Obsession and Scandal  among the Victorian Aristocracy. Est. date of publication: Feb. 2022.

NEWS: Jane’s latest book PRINCESS The Early Life of Queen Elizabeth II (2018) is now (from Nov 2020)  published in ebook by Lume Books (below left). It’s still available in paperback (below right) from Lyons Press (an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield). All editions available from the publishers or from Amazon.  (See sample reviews) 

Lume - Princess                 Princess cover

Jane was filmed for the documentary Our Queen in Wartime (for which  PRINCESS was a source). It was broadcast on ITV on 22 April 2020 and can be seen via Catch-Up. (See Events page.) With the slightly different title of The Queen at War, it was also shown on 5 May 2020 on PBS and is now available via Walter Presents. 

NEWS: After presenting a series of five book programmes for North Herts Radio ( Oct & Nov 2019),  Jane is also involved in the 2nd series, broadcast on Sundays at 4pm from 9 August 2020: see Events page for pics. If you missed the first series:  Click here and scroll down to bottom of page to  listen again.

Jane was filmed by the Anglophile Channel (USA) talking about her book PRINCESS,  which took place in the InterContinental Hotel, Park Lane, London, the site of the Queen’s first home, 145 Piccadilly. Watch the abridged interview here : Interview with Anglophile Channel, 2018.

OTHER BOOKS:

DUCHESSES: Living in 21st Century Britain (published on 4th September 2014 by Blink  Books, an imprint of Bonnier Publishing.  Now also available in an e-book) HM the Queen graciously accepted a copy of Duchesses for her 90th birthday. 

When Kate Middleton was made a royal duchess in 2011, she made the old title topical, even desirable, again. Just below the royal duchesses on the aristocratic tree sits another tiny group of women with their dukes: the non-royal duchesses. They are just as much a part of Britain’s heritage, the dukedoms having been awarded by monarchs since the 16th century, but they are a dying breed. 

Ten of these duchesses form the basis of this book. Not only is it the first time they have been featured together but in many cases it is the first time they have talked publicly about themselves. Each also selects a favourite duchess from the past, providing a fascinating gallery through the centuries and a comparison with today – for what does it mean to be a duchess in the 21st century when privilege is not a popular concept?

Book Cover

THE VOICE FROM THE GARDEN: Pamela Hambro and the Tale of Two Families Before and After the Great War (pub. Aug 2012, SilverWood Books)

cover of The Voice from the Garden by Jane Dismore

LONGLISTED 2013 FOR THE NEW ANGLE PRIZE FOR LITERATURE

This true family saga focuses on two prominent families during a turbulent time in Britain’s history: the Hambros, a major merchant banking dynasty, and the Cobbolds, a long established British brewing family from Suffolk, who are united in 1919 by marriage. Their friends include the mighty Morgan banking family of the USA, and the prominent Swedish industrialists, the Wallenbergs, as well as members of the British aristocracy. At the heart of the action lies the love story of Pamela Cobbold and Charles Hambro.

EVENTS (link to new page)

PUBLISHED FEATURES & GUEST POSTS: please click to link for most features (for some older features, please see Links page and Archives):

  • State Occasion: looking at Trooping the Colour, the ceremony which in 2021 celebrates the Queen’s 95th birthday, Majesty magazine, June 2021.
  • Her Heavenly Messenger: the strange story of the communication between the Countess of Caithness and Mary, Queen of Scots 300 years after the monarch’s death. Majesty Magazine, October 2020.
  • Comfort to the People:  Looking back 80 years to the Queen’s first speech as a 14-year-old Princess in WW2. Majesty Magazine, October 2020.
  • On the Duke of Edinburgh’s 99th Birthday    Royal experts, including Jane, choose their favourite picture of Prince Philip and say why. Yahoo News, 10 June 2020.
  • Fateful Festivities: the marriage of Marie Antoinette & the future Louis XVI 250 years ago, through the eyes of the 1st Duchess of Northumberland. Majesty magazine, May 2020.
  • Shaping a Queen: at the 75th anniversary of the end of WW2, how the war influenced Princess Elizabeth. Majesty magazine, March 2020.
  • On 13 Jan. 2020, as ‘summit talks’ headed by the Queen take place at Sandringham  on the proposals made by the Duke & Duchess of Sussex, Jane’s letter is published on the subject in The Times newspaper – see letter on Events page.
  • 85 years ago (1934): the marriage of the Duke of Kent & Princess Marina of Greece, memorable for many reasons: Royal Central, 29 Nov. 2019
  • Myth, Mystery & Fun The Queen & her Bowes Lyon relations, Majesty magazine, Nov 2019
  • A Story of Love and War: Cobbold Celebrations, 1919   Suffolk Magazine, October 2019 (online version click here & also see magazine itself)