About this ebook
“Reads like a romantic novel, could have been written by someone of the caliber of Jean Plaidy . . . Absolutely fascinating and full of revelations.” —Books Monthly
Born in 1765 in Neston, Cheshire, Amy Lyon took the stagecoach to London, beginning her remarkable journey to international fame. Soon to be known as “Emma,” she worked for various actresses at Drury Lane Theatre before becoming a dancer, a model and, later, a hostess. Her beauty brought her to the attention of Charles Grenville, the second son of the Earl of Warwick, who took her as his mistress, and she became the model for the painter George Romney. These paintings thrust Emma into the social spotlight and she soon became London’s top celebrity.
When Grenville needed to find a rich wife, Emma was passed onto Sir William Hamilton, British Envoy to Naples. The couple fell in love and were married in September 1791. When in Naples, Lady Hamilton, as she now was, became a close friend of Queen Maria Carolina, sister of Marie Antoinette. It was also in Naples that she met Admiral Nelson—and the great love affair began.
Much has been written about this later period of her life, but with Hugh Tours making full use of the letters Emma wrote as well as those she received throughout her life, the fascinating story of her early years is also revealed. This is history as moving as a great tragic novel; most moving of all, being the return, after Trafalgar, of Emma’s last letter to Nelson, unopened.
Born in 1765 in Neston, Cheshire, Amy Lyon took the stagecoach to London, beginning her remarkable journey to international fame. Soon to be known as “Emma,” she worked for various actresses at Drury Lane Theatre before becoming a dancer, a model and, later, a hostess. Her beauty brought her to the attention of Charles Grenville, the second son of the Earl of Warwick, who took her as his mistress, and she became the model for the painter George Romney. These paintings thrust Emma into the social spotlight and she soon became London’s top celebrity.
When Grenville needed to find a rich wife, Emma was passed onto Sir William Hamilton, British Envoy to Naples. The couple fell in love and were married in September 1791. When in Naples, Lady Hamilton, as she now was, became a close friend of Queen Maria Carolina, sister of Marie Antoinette. It was also in Naples that she met Admiral Nelson—and the great love affair began.
Much has been written about this later period of her life, but with Hugh Tours making full use of the letters Emma wrote as well as those she received throughout her life, the fascinating story of her early years is also revealed. This is history as moving as a great tragic novel; most moving of all, being the return, after Trafalgar, of Emma’s last letter to Nelson, unopened.
About the author
HUGH BERTHOLD TOURS was born in Chiswick on 15 July 1910. A career with the Bank of England was interrupted in 1939 when Hugh enlisted in the Royal Navy. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant RNVR, serving as a Gunnery Officer in the Far East as well as on the Russian Convoys. After the war Hugh returned to the Bank of England, where he started his literary career writing articles for the Bank of England magazine.
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