Princess Diana is considered the first responsible member of the British royal institution to challenge the rules, while the Duchess of Cambridge moves towards modernizing the monarchy. However, before them, there was one who paved the way.

Princess Mary was born in 1897. Despite her Viennese roots, she strove to make a princess's life meaningful, using her position to help the less fortunate and questioning gender conventions. As the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, she would live to see not only two of her brothers ascend to the throne but also her niece, Queen Elizabeth II.

She was one of the most hardworking members of the royal family, known for her methodical nature and determination in the face of adversity. During World War I, she initiated an effort to provide every British soldier and sailor with a Christmas gift and trained as a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

From her dedication to the war to her role as the family reconciler during the Abdication Crisis, Mary was the princess who reshaped the title for the modern era. In the first biography of her in decades, Elisabeth Basford offers a fresh appraisal of her full and fascinating life.

Pages: 288, Dimensions: 15.6x15.6cm