A Secret Between Gentlemen: Lord Battersea’s hidden scandal and the lives it changed forever is a true story stranger than fiction.
Stretching from England to Australia and Algeria, it details a British Government coverup of a gay scandal involving great names. Hidden for 120 years, it is a history that has never been told, and until recently could not be told.
It is an astonishing tale of vast privilege, and shattered and re-invented lives. Involving at least thirty high-life figures, the ringleader of the group was the M.P., connoisseur and plutocrat, Cyril Flower, Lord Battersea. Considered the most handsome man in Parliament, he was married to heiress Constance de Rothschild. The couple were renowned for their philanthropy.
THE INVESTIGATION: The criminal investigation led detectives to country houses, private yachts, and other quarters of the wealthy and powerful. The police became alarmed at what they were uncovering, and it became a serious question of public policy as to how far they should proceed in their inquiries. The investigation would climax in a dramatic midnight arrest aboard a ship bound for France.
THE KING STEPS IN: So grave was the scandal, that King Edward VII became involved: one of the possible suspects was married to a member of the Royal Family. All those involved in the case were secretly granted immunity from prosecution, with the exception of two procurers from the gentry who were quietly jailed in a stage-managed trial. However, their sentencing was to ultimately have extraordinary consequences half a world away in Australia and Africa. Now with the release of official files, and with the help of living descendants, the truth can finally be revealed.
DEEP RESEARCH: Meticulously researched at stately homes, and archives in the UK, France, America, and Australia, the 840 page book details the investigation, arrests and trial, and behind-the-scenes machinations. As the first ever biography of the fascinating Lord Battersea, it also sheds light on Victorian and Edwardian society as a whole, from its highest reaches to its lowest depths. Included are 44 pages of photographs; some from private albums, never before published.
Out now – the revised and expanded Third Edition.
(Avoid Amazon resellers offering outdated First and Second editions. Use the direct links below to the Third.)
HARDCOVER (ISBN 978-0-6488019-2-4)
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PAPERBACK (ISBN 978-0-6488019-4-8)
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KINDLE (ISBN 978-0-6488019-6-2)
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If Amazon suggests any hardback or paperback edition is unavailable (an issue occasionally affecting titles in its UK store), as an alternative we suggest UK bookshop chain Blackwells, who also offer free international shipping.
Return to the A Secret Between Gentlemen series page to view all the titles.