Nelson’s Lost Jewel »
Admiral Lord Nelson’s diamond Chelengk is one of the most famous and iconic jewels in British history. Presented to Nelson by the Sultan Selim III of Turkey after the battle of the Nile in 1798, the jewel had thirteen diamond rays to represent the French ships captured or destroyed at the action. A central diamond […]
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The Sultan of Zanzibar »
Using hitherto unseen letters and diaries and resting on the personal recollections of people who knew him, The Sultan of Zanzibar tells the story of Horace de Vere Cole, the world’s greatest ever prankster. Born into great wealth and privilege, Cole dedicated his life to pricking pomposity in other people through a series of extraordinary […]
. View Post » The Queen’s Knight »
Sir Howard Elphinstone, dashing military hero of the Crimean War, was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1858 aged just twenty-nine. Handpicked by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to be governor to their third son, Prince Arthur; Elphinstone made an uncertain beginning at court, settling uncomfortably within its aristocratic cliques and clashing frequently with the impassioned […]
. View Post » Nelson’s Purse »
Nelson’s Purse recounts Martyn’s extraordinary discovery of a trove of treasures belonging to Admiral Lord Nelson including the blood stained purse he carried to his death at the battle of Trafalgar. The trove was discovered in a forgotten trunk belonging to descendants of Nelson’s prize agent and confidant Alexander Davison. In the book, with novelist’s […]
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