Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland DBE DStJ (9 July 1901 – 21 May 2000) was an English writer who wrote both modern and historical romance novels. Her historical stories were mostly set during the Victorian or Edwardian periods. Cartland was one of the most successful authors of the 20th century worldwide.

Many of her books were turned into television films, such as The Lady and the Highwayman, A Hazard of Hearts, A Ghost in Monte Carlo, and Duel of Hearts.

Her books were translated into many languages, making her the fifth most translated author worldwide, not counting religious books. She wrote a total of 723 novels.

Although she is best known for her romantic stories, she also wrote non-fiction books, including biographies, plays, music, poetry, drama, operettas, and books about health and cooking. She also gave advice on television and wrote articles for newspapers and magazines.

Her books sold more than 750 million copies, though some sources say her total sales reached over two billion copies. The covers of her books often had portrait-style artwork, usually created by Francis Marshall (1901–1980).

Cartland was also a business leader who managed a company called Cartland Promotions. She was a well-known figure in London’s social circles and often wore a pink chiffon dress, a hat with feathers, a blonde wig, and wore a lot of makeup.

Biography

Born on August 31, 1901, at 31 Augustus Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Cartland was the only daughter and eldest child of Major James Bertram "Bertie" Falkner Cartland (1876–1918), an officer in the British Army, and his wife, Mary Hamilton Scobell, known as "Polly" (1877–1976). Cartland had two brothers: Ronald, a Member of Parliament (MP) who served as an army major during World War II (1907–1940), and James Anthony "Tony" Hamilton Cartland (1912–1940). Both brothers were killed in action in Flanders.

Although Cartland was born into a comfortable upper-middle-class family, her family’s financial situation worsened quickly after her birth. Cartland later said this decline was caused by the suicide of her paternal grandfather, James Cartland, a financier who shot himself after going bankrupt. However, records show that James Cartland, who owned a brass foundry company called James Cartland & Son Ltd, left an estate worth £92,000. Soon after, her father died in Berry-au-Bac during World War I. To support her family, Cartland’s mother opened a dry goods store in London.

Cartland attended private girls’ schools, including The Alice Ottley School, Malvern Girls’ College, and Abbey House, a school in Hampshire. After 1922, she became a successful society reporter and a writer of romantic fiction. She said her early work was inspired by the novels of Elinor Glyn, an Edwardian author she admired and later became friends with.

According to an obituary in The Daily Telegraph, Cartland ended her first engagement to a Guards officer when she learned about sexual intercourse. She said she turned down 49 marriage proposals before marrying Captain Alexander "Sachie" George McCorquodale on April 23, 1927. McCorquodale was a British Army officer from Scotland and inherited a printing business. They divorced in 1933, and he died of heart failure in 1964.

Cartland and McCorquodale had a daughter, Raine McCorquodale (September 9, 1929 – October 21, 2016), who Cartland later claimed was the child of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland, or Prince George, Duke of Kent. Raine became Debutante of the Year in 1947. After Cartland and McCorquodale divorced in 1933, which involved accusations of infidelity from both sides, Cartland married McCorquodale’s cousin, Hugh McCorquodale, on December 28, 1936. Hugh died in 1963, and the couple had two sons: Ian Hamilton McCorquodale (October 11, 1937 – February 10, 2023), a publisher for Debrett’s, and Glen McCorquodale (born 1939), a stockbroker.

Cartland had a long friendship with Lord Mountbatten of Burma, whose death in 1979 she called "the greatest sadness of my life." Mountbatten supported her charitable work, especially for United World Colleges, and helped her write her book Love at the Helm, providing naval and historical details. The Mountbatten Memorial Trust, created by Charles, Prince of Wales, after Mountbatten was killed in Ireland, received the profits from the book when it was published in 1980.

When Cartland learned that Diana Spencer, a young woman, enjoyed reading her novels, she began sending her early copies. However, as an adult, Diana, Cartland’s step-granddaughter, did not invite Cartland to her wedding to Prince Charles. Cartland later criticized Diana’s divorce, though their relationship was repaired before Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. According to Tina Brown’s book on Diana, Cartland once said, "The only books Diana ever read were mine, and they weren’t awfully good for her."

Novels

After working as a gossip columnist for the Daily Express for a year, Cartland published her first novel, Jigsaw (1923), a society thriller with bold themes that became a bestseller. She also began writing and producing plays with daring content. One of these plays, Blood Money (1926), was banned by an official group called the Lord Chamberlain's Office. In the 1920s and 1930s, Cartland was a well-known hostess in London society, admired for her beauty, lively personality, and exciting parties. Her style of dressing was also notable, and she was one of the first people to work with designer Norman Hartnell. She remained a client until Hartnell’s death in 1979. Hartnell created her presentation and wedding dresses; the wedding dress was designed by Cartland herself, despite Hartnell’s objections, and she later said it was not successful.

In 1950, Cartland faced accusations of copying another author’s work. Author Georgette Heyer claimed that Cartland’s novel A Hazard of Hearts (1949) used names, characters, and plot ideas from Heyer’s earlier books, including These Old Shades (1926). Heyer provided detailed evidence to her lawyers, but the case was never taken to court.

In addition to writing novels, Cartland authored a book about married life in the 1950s, which was banned in Ireland.

Although her later novels had simpler or less exciting plots, they were very popular. By 1983, Cartland had the longest entry in Who’s Who, mostly listing her books. She was also named the top-selling author in the world by the Guinness Book of Records. In 1976, she wrote 23 novels, earning a Guinness World Record for the most novels written in one year. The 1970s and 1980s were her most productive years, and she often appeared on television during this time. Cartland believed the romance genre focused on both physical and spiritual connections, emphasizing beauty rather than sexuality. She did not consider Harriet by Jilly Cooper to be part of the romance genre.

In 2000, her publishers estimated she had written 723 books since starting her career in 1923.

By the mid-1990s, when she had sold over a billion books, Vogue magazine called Cartland “the true Queen of Romance.”

Contribution to aviation

In her personal time, Cartland was interested in the early gliding movement. In 1931, she worked with two RAF officers to design the first glider used for delivering mail by being towed by an aircraft. She also organized the first long-distance tow, which was 200 miles (360 kilometers) long. In 1984, she received the Bishop Wright Air Industry Award for her work.

Non-fiction books

Cartland wrote several biographies about important people, including Metternich: The Passionate Diplomat in 1964, The Outrageous Queen: A Biography of Christina of Sweden in 1956, The Private Life of Charles II: The Women He Loved in 1958, and Josephine, Empress of France in 1961. Her biography of Klemens von Metternich discussed his many romantic relationships and included quotes such as: "He was a strong, skilled, and enjoyable lover. Even the most experienced women felt they discovered something new when they were with him. Every woman experienced emotional happiness that was hard to describe."

Political influence

After her brother Ronald Cartland, a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP), died during World War II, Cartland wrote a biography about him. The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, wrote the introduction to this book.

The war began Cartland’s long-term interest in community well-being and politics. She worked in charitable roles for the War Office and the St John Ambulance Brigade. In 1953, she was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of St John of Jerusalem at Buckingham Palace for her work.

In 1955, Cartland was elected as a councillor on Hertfordshire County Council as a Conservative. She held this position for nine years. During this time, she helped improve nursing homes, increase midwives’ pay, and support the legalisation of education for Romani children.

Music

A radio operetta titled The Rose and the Violet was broadcast by the BBC in 1942. It was composed by Mark Lubbock, with the book and lyrics written by Cartland. The story takes place during the Edwardian era in Rotten Row.

Jan Kerrison, a cellist, pianist, and composer (and the second wife of bassoonist Archie Camden), was a neighbor and friend of Cartland. During World War II, she created patriotic musical arrangements of Cartland’s songs, "Wings on the Sunrise" and "The Knights of St John," for the St John’s Ambulance Brigade.

In 1978, Cartland recorded an EP vinyl record with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The record, titled An Album of Love Songs, was released by State Records and produced by Norman Newell. It included Cartland performing covers of popular songs such as "I'll Follow My Secret Heart" and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square."

Honours

In January 1988, Cartland received the Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris, the highest honor given by the city of Paris, for publishing 25 million books in France.

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth II awarded Cartland the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) to recognize the author’s nearly 70 years of work in literature, politics, and social matters.

A wax figure of Cartland was displayed at Madame Tussauds. However, her son Ian said she was not happy with the figure because it was not "pretty enough."

Cartland appeared on the television program This Is Your Life twice. In March 1958, Eamonn Andrews surprised her at the BBC Television Theatre. In December 1989, Michael Aspel surprised her at Elstree Studios.

As of 1996, Cartland held the record for the most entries in the biographic reference book Who's Who, with 223 lines. This number was greater than that of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Cartland’s former home, called River Cottage, was located in Great Barford, Bedfordshire. She lived there from 1941 to 1949. A heritage Blue Plaque, which honors her literary career, will be placed at the house.

Death and legacy

Cartland passed away while sleeping on May 21, 2000, at her home, Camfield Place, near Hatfield, Hertfordshire, at the age of 98. For six months before her death, she had been dealing with poor health and dementia, which led to her being unable to move and kept isolated. Her two sons, Ian and Glen McCorquodale, were with her when she died. Soon after, Cartland’s daughter from her first marriage, Raine, visited the family home.

Initially, Cartland wished to be buried in her local parish church with a marble coffin decorated with angels. However, she later changed her mind and chose a cardboard coffin because she cared about environmental concerns. She was buried at her private estate in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, under an oak tree planted by Queen Elizabeth I. Cartland left a total estate worth £1,139,123, but after paying debts and other obligations, the remaining amount was zero. She once said, "I have no idea what I make. Occasionally I ask, 'Are we in debt?' We always are."

Posthumous publications

Barbara Cartland left behind 160 novels that were not published before. These books, called the Barbara Cartland Pink Collection, were released as ebooks by her son, Ian McCorquodale. Each month, one novel from the collection was published until all 160 books were released in 2018.

In 2010, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her death, Cartland's first novel, Jig-Saw (originally published in 1925), was printed again.

As a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee and to honor Barbara Cartland's lasting influence on romance readers, her publishers released a new collection of her books called The Eternal Collection. This collection began being released in November 2013 and includes some novels that were published when Queen Elizabeth II became queen in 1952.

Her ebooks are also available in Spanish, Italian, German, and Dutch.

Feature films

BBC Four showed a biographical drama film called In Love with Barbara on October 26, 2008. The film stars Anne Reid as Cartland and David Warner as Lord Mountbatten. Jacquetta May wrote the film.

Her final project involved being filmed and interviewed for a documentary about her life, directed by Steven Glen for Blue Melon Films. The documentary, titled Virgins and Heroes, includes early home movie footage and shows Dame Barbara starting her website using pink computers in early 2000.

Archives

Some documents written by Barbara Cartland are stored at The Women's Library, which is part of the Library of the London School of Economics. The reference number for these documents is 7BCA.