Conspiracy of Secrets

This is an engaging biographical detective story delving into a dark and mysterious family secret...who was Louis T Stanley? Now a hundred years later the story of one of the greatest cover-ups in British political history is revealed by Louis T Stanley's step-daughter. Louis T Stanley was the illegitimate son of the serving Prime Minister of Great Britain, H.H. Asquith, and his mother was a young aristocrat's daughter, Venetia Stanley. The Stanley and Asquith families had always been close. Venetia's father, the 4th Lord Sheffield, Lyulph Stanley, and H.H. Asquith had studied together. Asquith then married Helen with whom he had five children, but following Helen's premature death he married the eccentric and prickly Margot who provided him with two more children. Later Lyulph Stanley and HH Asquith became involved in Liberal politics and their children became the best of friends. Asquith's eldest daughter Violet became inseparable friends with Venetia Stanley and accompanied her to Downing Street and visits to the House of Commons etc. H.H Asquith and Venetia began to build up a close relationship. The closeness of the couple was rarely questioned at the time; the sixty-five year old Prime Minister had seven children and the aristocratic girl, by now in her early twenties, hid under the cover of her friendship with Violet. Based on extensive research and the piecing together of childhood memories and historical events Bobbie Neate recounts the secret life of her Grandfather and the extreme measures that were taken to keep it a secret for so long. With connections to many high profile aristocratic families of the era, including the Mitfords, this book will appeal to those fascinated by the hierarchy of the period as well as those enthralled by the romance of forbidden love. With evidence to support her claims this book will cause immense debate in academic circles.