Lillie Langtry

Manners, Masks and Morals.

Mrs Langtry - "Jersey Lillie", mistress of the Prince of Wales, born a provincial in 1853, died rich and lonely in 1929 - was surrounded by scandal, luxury and gossip. Laura Beatty goes deep beneath the outward trappings to lift the masks that Oscar Wilde, her friend and mentor, taught her to wear. Meticulously presenting the fascinating scenes of a life throughout which Lillie continually reinvented herself, Beatty explores her true love for Arthur Jones, bastard son of the last Lord Ranelagh and friend from her Jersey childhood, her fall from Society, her near-bankruptcy, and the birth of her illegitimate daughter at a secret address in Paris.