Grand Dukes and Diamonds: The Wernhers of Luton Hoo

Raleigh Trevelyan tells the story of one of the world's most fascinating families, the Wernhers of Luton Hoo. The family fortune was made by Sir Julius Wernher, the financier and mining magnate who together with Alfred Beit made a vast fortune. He acquired Luton Hoo, a country house in Bedfordshire, which was eventually inherited by Sir Harold Wernher and his wife Lady Zia. Their marriage in 1917 was a sensation; she was the daughter of Grand Duke Michael of Russia and a direct descendant of Pushkin; he was probably the wealthiest bachelor in England. Based on unrestricted access to the Wernher papers, Grand Dukes and Diamonds charts the history of one of the most influential and extraordinary families of our time.