The Churchill Girls: The Story of Winston's Daughters

​One of the most written-about individuals from British history would have to be Winston Churchill and apart from a couple of biographies on his wife, Clementine, very little is known about the women in his life, especially his daughters.
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The Churchills had five children, four girls, Diana, Sarah, Marigold and Mary, and one son, Randolph. The son, as might have been expected, was the one who was groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps as a politician yet was almost a failure and perhaps a disappointment to his father.

One daughter, Marigold, sadly died when just a toddler due in part to an inexperienced nanny's lack of foresight, but the other three are the subject of this book.

Churchill’s famous gene of “black dog depression” would be passed on, but how each child coped with it makes for interesting comparisons.

As the first-born, Diana, had problems in such a dynamic family and her retiring and diffident nature became a trial and would ultimately create mental health issues. Next was Sarah who made a name for herself as an actress on the stage and in movies in Britain and in America. Passionate and talented, she also had her demons, loving the wrong men and fighting a battle with alcohol. The youngest daughter, Mary, was the one who seemed to have weathered the storms the best and helped under the influence of the trustworthy last nanny, Maryatt Whyte, known as Moppett, who raised her to be enterprising and level-headed. Her accomplishments were many, her home and public life far more serene than those of her sisters. 

Although during their early childhood they remained remote from their parents in the manner of high society of the day it was not until much later that Clementine saw the errors of her ways and became closer to her children. In fact, it looks as if Winston was the better parent and he always found the time to have fun with them. Although they had their differences and challenges, he never stopped supporting them. In return, the girls all adored him which shows him in a surprising new light considering his status and also as a father of his time.

Well-researched and insightful, this is a marvellous book for anyone interested in people who live in the shadow of greatness or who just want to discover more about women who have been hidden in that shadow.

Five stars

(Also see my review of “Before Wallis”, Rachel Trethewey’s book on the lady friends of the Duke of Windsor.)


 
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