Whatever Next! (A Bear Family Book, 2)

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Bracing honesty, rare insight, and more revelations: the New York Times bestselling author of Lady in Waiting shares everything she's learned from her extraordinary and unexpected life. I think that Anne's life is very interesting to me because parts of it are so different than mine. But the part of her life that really inspires me is the way that she reinvents herself over and over. She is over ninety years old and has become an author and she just loves it. But isn’t stoicism a double-edged sword? As you admit in your book, life might have been better for you and your children if you’d talked more. Now in her early 90’s she is very much enjoying her new life as an author, and touring to promote her books!! Anne Glenconner's remarkable life hasn't always been as glamorous as one would expect of the daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, but it's certainly been an eventful one. From being raised in the beautiful Holkham Hall to living in a tent in the jungles of Mustique, and from exploring the world with Princess Margaret, to keeping pace with her unrestrained and impulsive husband - Lord Glenconner - Anne has lived many extremes.

This book finds Lady Glenconner more confident; it feels as though she's writing about things that she didn't feel she could write about just a few years ago. She is more open about her marriage and her relationships.From her childhood nanny (one of the good ones; she also had a horrendous one), she often heard, "Let's go and explore." Anne has continued to have a love of travel throughout her life. "The world is full of interesting things to see, but you have to go and look for them." This book has valuable insights and information on how to cope with whatever life throws at you. Anne says she believes it was her early training on how to behave and her experiences during WWII and as a traveling saleswoman for her family pottery that gave her the ability to deal with everything which happened to her later.

I felt bad for Princess Margaret when Anne wrote of how the press had to set up a "bad sister" to play against the Queen as "good sister." It made me dislike the press more than I already do (is that even possible?!). So much of what we hear on the news is set up in templates the media has decided on, which may have little basis in reality. Are you any closer now to understanding why, when he died in 2010 , he left his entire estate to his valet, Kent Adonai ? Who knows? I’m 90 and a half and I do sometimes get exhausted. But I’m having such a wonderful time. Life is so exciting. I’m going on The One Show on Monday. Some letters come from people who are facing difficult times, often asking my advice on how to cope. It’s very difficult as all our lives are so different and we cope in different ways. I tell them never to give up, and remind them that life often turns round. I also encourage them not to dwell on things. There is a difference, I think, between facing problems and allowing oneself to be overwhelmed by them, though that can be a difficult line to tread. I also tell them I try to think of myself as a puppet with a string coming out of the top of my head, pulling me upwards. That way I sit up straight and look forward. Quite honestly, it makes me feel better if I ever get depressed. It’s often silly things that can make a difference.” The Queen always understood that the deference paid to her was because of her position and what she represented, not because of who she was as a person. I think one of the reasons she was so loved was because she was not arrogant or haughty.”Whatever Now” is a candid look at a very interesting life full of moments of both extraordinary privilege and of tragedy. The book can be a bridge from how things used to be to how much they have changed. Having lived nine decades, the author is a testament to witnessing change. I was intrigued with the bits and pieces she revealed about her mother, especially how she rode her Harley.

No, because I was able to murder her in my novel A Haunting at Holkham[published in 2021]. I got rid of her and there was a wonderful feeling of relief. This is true of a lot of the awful things that have happened to me in my life. Now I’ve written about them, I feel completely different. It’s had a wonderful effect on me. This was good, and it was lovely to spend time with Lady Anne once again. I adore her. I prefer her first book, Lady in Waiting. Not long ago, I read and enjoyed "Lady in Waiting," by Anne Glenconner. You may remember that Anne was a maid of honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation, and then served as a lady in waiting to Princess Margaret for several decades. She ended that book by looking with optimism toward the future, always wondering "Whatever next?" So, when I saw her new book, "Whatever Next?" up for review, I was happy to sign up. Deeply honest and touching, the author shares engaging bits about her life, including her childhood, her lifelong friendship with Princess Margaret, the complicated relationship with her late husband, her children, the losses she’s endured, and the life she’s built for herself now. I finish this book in two days. It was interesting, and I appreciate her mentioning of matters and consideration, as I think it’s still important today. Sadly, we don’t get enough of it.We talked about imagination and how we could use different things to pretend - we do a lot of duplo and painting but don't play many imaginative games, so it was very helpful to have this prompt. One day we were making paper books and Miles made one inspired by Whatever Next. He told me story and did the pictures, I just transcribed what he said. Mummy Bear and Baby Bear made quite an impression on him!’