Conspiracy of Secrets

Front Cover
John Blake Publishing, Mar 12, 2012 - Biography & Autobiography - 368 pages
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.

About the author (2012)

Bobbie Neate became a primary school teacher in some of London's poorest districts after graduating from London University. She went on to gain an M.Phil. in the teaching of reading before working with both adults and children, in Britain, Uzbekistan, South Africa, The Gambia, The US and Sydney where she taught at the Catholic University. A past president of the UK Reading Association (now UK Literary Association) she has published extensively in the educational field on the subject of effective reading and writing strategies. She was the non-fiction editor for the Longman Book Project which at the time was the largest reading project for schools. Conspiracy of Secrets has been a new departure. One Bobbie had decided to get to the bottom of the mystery and exorcise the horror created by her stepfather Louis T Stanley, her research into the complexities of his life meant that everything else was put on the back burner. She is currently working on a new book. Read more at http://bobbieneate.blogspot.co.uk

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