B&N Reads, Fiction, Guest Post, Historical Fiction

The Mitford Affair and the Churchill Connection: A Guest Post from Marie Benedict, Author of The Mitford Affair

By Marie Benedict / January 17, 2023 at 1:14 am

Hardcover $22.99 ~~$27.99~~

The Mitford Affair: A Novel

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Hardcover $22.99 ~~$27.99~~

Marie Benedict has returned to us with a propulsive historical fiction thriller that is un-putdownable. Illuminating the hold fascism can have on individuals, The Mitford Affair is a story of sisterhood, loyalty, and patriotism during the 1930s. This fascinating read will bring to you new facets of history in the time leading up to World War II, and it’s a must-have for any historical fiction fan. Keep reading for a post from Marie Benedict about the connection between the Churchills and the Mitford sisters.

In the years leading up to World War II, the six brilliant, beautiful, aristocratic Mitford sisters, and occasionally their only brother, often made front page news in Great Britain and the continent. In fact, their mother once pronounced that anytime she saw the phrase “Peer’s Daughter” in the newspaper, she assumed it would be about her children. Yet, even Sydney Mitford, Baroness Redesdale, could not have predicted the sorts of headlines in which her daughters would prominently figure, particularly Diana and Unity as they become embroiled with the major players in Fascism and Nazism in Great Britain and beyond.

In my fictional telling of these events, Nancy is faced with a difficult choice as she becomes increasingly suspicious of her sisters’ intentions: to protect her sisters or her country. Her proximity to Winston Churchill plays a role. Even before he becomes the Prime Minister, Winston is sounding the alarm bells about the dangers of Adolph Hitler, and due to the very public nature of Diana and Unity’s interactions with the Nazis and fascists, is painfully aware of the sisters’ machinations. Winston guides Nancy in a particular direction, much as he guides his countryfolk — until that guidance becomes an ultimatum.

Why are the Mitfords even in Winston Churchill’s orbit? Well, the official account is that Winston’s wife Clementine was the cousin of David Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale and father to the infamous siblings. Clementine’s mother — Lady Blanche Hozier — and David’s mother — Lady Clementine Mitford, were sisters. So, the Mitford siblings grew up in the regular company of their second cousins at family dinners, holidays, and weekends at Chartwell, the Churchills’ country house. In fact, the only Mitford son, Tom, and Winston’s son Randolph were especially close friends. Later, of course, Jessica Mitford even marries the son of Clementine Churchill’s sister, also Jessica’s second cousin.

But is that the whole truth? What was the full nature of the connection between the Churchills and the Mitfords? The answer is much more complicated than the cousinly tie.

Clementine Churchill and the 6 Mitford Sisters

During my research of both Clementine Churchill and the Mitfords — for Lady Clementine and The Mitford Affair, respectively — I learned something very interesting. Yes indeed, David Mitford and Clementine Churchill’s mothers were sisters, making these families a merry bunch of cousins on one level. But Lady Blanche Hozier, Clementine’s mother and the daughter of a Scottish Earl, was a bit of a wild child, who didn’t quite believe that the strictures of the time applied to her. She’d worked her way through a cadre of men before her parents orchestrated her marriage to Colonel Henry Hozier, military man and executive at Lloyd’s of London. This union did not halt Blanche’s other amorous adventures, and thus the paternity of her children has been hotly debated, despite the fact that the colonel was their official parent. Who is the most likely candidate for Clementine’s father? None other than David Mitford’s father, Algernon, with whom Blanche had an affair for many years, despite the fact that he was married to her sister. Thus, Clementine Churchill and David Miford might have been half-siblings as well as cousins, making Clementine aunt to the Mitford siblings and the Mitford and Churchill children first rather than second cousins.

What did this mean for the Mitfords’ cozy family holidays and visits with the Churchills? Well, we don’t know if the players knew about this paternity puzzle regarding “Cousin Clemmie,” or how they felt. There don’t seem to be any fissures in their relationship if they did. By all accounts, they were quite close. But it does mean that the Churchills had ready and regular access to the Mitfords, providing Winston with plenty of opportunities to study and hear about the reckless behavior of the Mitford sisters in great detail and, possibly, to enlist Nancy in the cause to stop it.

It is in these lesser-known corners of the past that The Mitford Affair operates, with historical figures that we think we know, but really don’t. Scandals, large or small, or oft-repeated history cannot tell the full story of a person or the scope of their legacies — whether they are horrific, as in the case of Diana and Unity, or heroic, as with Nancy.