The daughter of a Welsh Baronet, Mary Elizabeth Lucy had very little in common with Queen Victoria on the outside but there is one very important detail which they both have in common… they wanted their stories to be remembered.
In the 1880s Mary Elizabeth Lucy, Mistress of Charlecote, set about recounting her life as a way to document her stories so that her grandchildren could discover what her life had been like during the early Victorian era. However, like the lives of many women in history, time caused the events of Mary Elizabeth’s life to be forgotten, and the memoirs remained hidden in a drawer in the library at Charlecote until they were discovered by her great-granddaughter-in-law, Alice Fairfax-Lucy, in the 1980s, a century after they came into fruition.
Charlecote Park © National Trust
NT 533887
📸 by Shannon McInulty, May 2026
What makes this retelling particularly enchanting is Mary Elizabeth’s dignified rawness in her approach. With a mix of simplistic wording and Victorian eloquence, Mary Elizabeth’s writing instantly makes the reader feel like they have been transported back in time to stand beside her as she experiences each documented moment. Whether the memories are filled with pleasure or tragedy, each moment has been written with the purest emotion and without oversharing or overdramatising the facts. Through doing this, Mary Elizabeth has created a time capsule within 180 pages, allowing us to understand not only who she was but also the world around her.
Tap here to read my full review of Mary Elizabeth’s memoirs!
I have absolutely loved reading about the life of Mary Elizabeth Lucy and her love for the royal family over the last few weeks. Her memoires ‘Mistress of Charlecote’ is a wonderful read and truly brings each of these royal encounters to life. If you haven’t already, I highly reccomend not only reading the book, but also visiting Charlecote Park in Warwickshire, where you can walk through the rooms that the Lucy family once lived in.
© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2026
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I bought Mary Elizabeth Lucy’s memoir, based on your recommendation and I love it! You are right. The way she writes makes you feel like you are there. I highly recommend it.