Synopsis
'Riveting' -- The Times
'A triumph' -- David Kynaston
'Lively and informative' -- Miranda Seymour
'The resurrection of a remarkable woman erased from history' -- Katy Hessel
'Extraordinary' -- Peter Jones
The spellbinding true story of Emily Cowper, Regency socialite turned Victorian powerbroker
Emily, Countess Cowper was stubborn, beautiful and intensely ambitious. She took Regency society by storm, captivating famous statesmen and the young Queen Victoria.
Born the Hon. Emily Lamb, she was brought up at the centre of glamorous Regency high society with its duels and dissipation. Her godmother was the infamous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and Lord Byron an acolyte and admirer. When her marriage to Earl Cowper soured, she took a string of lovers, eventually taming a rake: the promising, promiscuous Lord Palmerston.
Emily's life resembled real life Bridgerton - she even inspired the character Cressida Cowper. But her petticoats and parties belied a steely determination. Yearning for power beyond the ballroom, she used her political genius to engineer the premierships of her brother, Lord Melbourne, and her lover, Lord Palmerston. Once in Downing Street, she acted as chief counsel, speechwriter, press officer and tireless schemer for the Whig cause - from women's rights to the eradication of slavery. By proxy she became one of the most powerful people in England and changed the course of history. But her story has never been told - until now.
Written with novelistic richness and extraordinary detail drawn from thousands of intimate letters and journals. The Countess unveils the life of this exceptional woman and offers a new insight into the time in which she lived.
'A triumph' -- David Kynaston
'Lively and informative' -- Miranda Seymour
'The resurrection of a remarkable woman erased from history' -- Katy Hessel
'Extraordinary' -- Peter Jones
The spellbinding true story of Emily Cowper, Regency socialite turned Victorian powerbroker
Emily, Countess Cowper was stubborn, beautiful and intensely ambitious. She took Regency society by storm, captivating famous statesmen and the young Queen Victoria.
Born the Hon. Emily Lamb, she was brought up at the centre of glamorous Regency high society with its duels and dissipation. Her godmother was the infamous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and Lord Byron an acolyte and admirer. When her marriage to Earl Cowper soured, she took a string of lovers, eventually taming a rake: the promising, promiscuous Lord Palmerston.
Emily's life resembled real life Bridgerton - she even inspired the character Cressida Cowper. But her petticoats and parties belied a steely determination. Yearning for power beyond the ballroom, she used her political genius to engineer the premierships of her brother, Lord Melbourne, and her lover, Lord Palmerston. Once in Downing Street, she acted as chief counsel, speechwriter, press officer and tireless schemer for the Whig cause - from women's rights to the eradication of slavery. By proxy she became one of the most powerful people in England and changed the course of history. But her story has never been told - until now.
Written with novelistic richness and extraordinary detail drawn from thousands of intimate letters and journals. The Countess unveils the life of this exceptional woman and offers a new insight into the time in which she lived.
Details
25 June 2026
320 pages
9781804183717
Imprint: Ithaka
Reviews
“A triumph: not only a richly sympathetic portrait of a fascinating aristocratic woman, but also a revealing window into a whole scandal-riven world in which the political and the personal were inextricably entwined. Meticulously researched, unfailingly humane in its judgements, and sprinkled throughout with lovely touches of humour and colour, The Countess is in its range of characters and drama a wonderfully compelling read”David Kynaston, author of Tales of a New Jerusalem
“A lively and informative book about Emily Cowper, whose interesting life certainly justifies a biography”Miranda Seymour, author of I Used to Live Here Once
“The resurrection of a remarkable woman erased from history”Katy Hessel, author of A History of Art Without Men
“A riveting biography of the indefatigable Emily Cowper. . . This book is a refreshing antidote to the oceans of space devoted to the clothes worn by the wives of contemporary prime ministers. Its authors have given due weight to a woman who used style, guile and persuasion to be the power behind not one but two prime ministers”Daisy Goodwin, The Times
