Pan Mac lands Duchess of Rutland's 'fascinating' autobiography

Pan Macmillan has landed the “fascinating, revealing, and funny” autobiography of Emma Manners, Duchess of Rutland.

Publishing director Ingrid Connell acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Caroline Michel at PFD for The Accidental Duchess. It will publish on 15th September 2022 alongside an “unmissable” PR and marketing campaign. 

The synopsis states: “When Emma Watkins, the pony-mad daughter of a Welsh farmer, imagined her future it was as the wife of a younger version of her father. The idea that she would marry into the aristocracy would have seemed as unlikely as time travel. But then she fell in love with David Manners, having no idea that he was heir to one of the most senior hereditary titles in the land. When David succeeded his father, against all the odds Emma became the chatelaine of Belvoir Castle, ancestral home of the Dukes of Rutland.

“She was coping with five boisterous children while faced with a vast estate in desperate need of modernisation and staff who wanted nothing to change – it was a daunting responsibility. Yet with sound advice from the doyenne of Duchesses, ‘Debo’ Devonshire, she met each challenge with optimism and gusto, including scaling the 161 foot castle roof in a storm to unclog a flooding gutter; being caught in her nightdress by mesmerised Texan tourists; and disguising herself as a cleaner to watch filming of ‘The Crown’ incognito. Not to mention ghosts... At times the problems she faced seemed insoluble, yet with her unstoppable energy and talent for thinking on the hoof, she won through, inspired by the vision and passion of those Rutland duchesses in whose footsteps she trod, and indeed the redoubtable and resourceful women who forged her, whose homes were not castles but remote farmhouses in the Radnorshire hills."

The Duchess said: “I’m delighted to be sharing my experiences of the extraordinary – and totally unexpected – life that I have led, specifically finding myself custodian of an historic castle whose foundations go back to the Norman invasion. In the 20 years since our family took up residence, there have been wonderful highs and shattering lows, one minute discussing centuries-old plumbing, the next learning to bend it with Beckham. What is indisputable is that those of England’s stately homes that have endured for centuries have done so under the watchful eye of the lady of the house. If it is true that behind every great man, is a great woman, then exactly the same could be said for every great house.”

Connell added: “The Duchess is a remarkable woman, a whirlwind of energy and ideas, who has transformed the Belvoir estate and her memoir will transform how we view the women who run our country’s greatest houses. The Accidental Duchess is warm, honest and entertaining – and full of surprises.”