New Releases by Wendy Holden

LES ENSEÑÓ LA LECCIÓN MÁS IMPORTANTE DE TODAS: SOBREVIVIR. Basado en la historia real de Fredy Hirsch, el profesor judío que creó el Bloque 31 para proteger a los niños de los nazis. En medio de la oscuridad de Auschwitz, existe un bloque cuyas paredes están llenas de dibujos; un lugar donde los niños cantan, representan obras de teatro y juegan. Resguardados pero a la sombra de las chimeneas, reciben comida, están a salvo de las alimañas y aprenden a meditar para imaginar cómo es sentir el estómago lleno y vivir un día sin miedo. Fredy Hirsch es el joven prisionero judío que se ha convertido en su guía y en su luz. Pero ser profesor en un campo de concentración y exterminio no es tarea fácil. Negocia con las SS a cambio de mejores provisiones, esconde su orientación sexual y arriesga la vida todos los días por un único motivo: proteger a los niños del peligro mortal al que todos se enfrentan. Sin embargo, el tiempo se agota para Fredy y los cientos de niños a su cuidado. ¿Encontrará la manera de enseñarles la última lección de todas? ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ «Un libro emocionante y precioso. Excepcionalmente documentado y fiel a la verdad.» Museo Conmemorativo del Holocausto de los Estados Unidos ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭«Salvó nuestras vidas, pero también nuestras almas. Salimos del infierno, más o menos intactos, gracias a él.» Testimonio de un superviviente, Paraíso en Auschwitz ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ «Fredy Hirsch construyó un “paraíso infantil” en medio del infierno nazi.» ABC

All''ombra delle ciminiere, in una baracca di legno, Fredy Hirsch insegna ai bambini a immaginare un mondo diverso. In questo spazio angusto, i piccoli prigionieri cantano, mettono in scena spettacoli teatrali, scrivono poesie e imparano a conoscere il mondo, circondati da pareti dipinte a mano con colori vivaci. Grazie a Fredy, vengono tenuti al riparo dai parassiti, ricevono cibo migliore e imparano persino a immaginare di avere lo stomaco pieno e vivere un giorno senza paura. Essere un insegnante in un campo di concentramento non è affatto semplice. Fredy, atleta ventisettenne ebreo e gay, rischia la vita ogni giorno. La sua missione è insegnare a conservare speranza e dignità, anche in mezzo all''orrore. Ma il tempo sta per scadere per Fredy e per le centinaia di bambini a lui affidati. Può quest''uomo gentile, compassionevole e coraggioso insegnare loro la lezione più importante di tutte: come sopravvivere? Un romanzo intenso e commovente, basato su ricerche storiche accurate e testimonianze dirette, che restituisce voce a un eroe dimenticato e agli innocenti che ha ispirato.

"Readers are transported to 1961 Britain in this fascinating tale about beloved Princess Diana....What follows is an astonishing story of Diana''s route to the altar and beyond."—Woman''s World The whole world saw Diana Spencer step from a gilded carriage for her wedding. But before that fairy-tale moment came a difficult journey.… Bestselling author Wendy Holden explores the astonishing backstory and young adulthood of the ultimate royal celebrity. Britain, 1961: A beautiful blonde baby is born to Viscount Althorp, heir to the Spencer earldom. But Diana grows up amid the fallout of her parents’ messy divorce. She struggles at school. Her refuge throughout is romantic novels. She dreams of falling in love and being rescued by a handsome prince. In royal circles, there is concern about the Prince of Wales. Charles is nearing thirty and the right girl needs to be found, fast. She must be young, aristocratic and completely free of past liaisons. Pure and innocent. Eighteen-year-old Diana Spencer is just about the only candidate. Her yearning to be loved dovetails with royal desperation for a bride. But the route to the altar is perilous. There are hidden dangers. Ruthless schemers. Can Diana’s romantic dream survive?

sätter också nytt ljus på en av världens mest kända familjer spännande roman om kärlek och dramatik, lojalitet och försakelser och kungligheter förstås. BTJ helhetsbetyg: 4. En episk berättelse om drottning Elizabeths barndom och kvinnan som fostrade henne. LONDON 1933. Tjugotvååriga Marion Crawford har rest från Skottland för att bli guvernant åt de små prinsessorna Elizabeth och Margaret Rose. Det enda kravet hon har på deras föräldrar, Hertigen och Hertiginnan av York, är att hon ska få tillåtelse att införa en aning normalitet i flickornas skyddade och privilegierade tillvaro. Marion trotsar de gammalmodiga etikettsreglerna genom att ta med prinsessorna på tunnelbaneresor, till offentliga simbassänger och på shoppingturer på Woolworths. Från sin position i kungafamiljens absoluta centrum blir hon vittne till nittonhundratalets stora händelser: Edvard VIII:s abdikation, den glamourösa kröningen av Elizabeth II och andra världskrigets början. Hon lotsar de kungliga flickorna genom allt detta, lika nära som en mor. Men Marion Crawford får göra stora uppoffringar som familjen Windsors nära förtrogna. Äktenskap, barn, egna åsikter allt får hon offra i skuggan av den kungliga glansen. Men kommer det att räcka för att behålla kungafamiljens tillgivenhet när allt rasar? Med inspiration från verkliga händelser och oräkneliga källor har Wendy Holden skrivit en episk roman om kärlek, försakelser och lojalitet.

Eerste deel in De Windsor-outsiderserie. Meeslepende, op waarheid gebaseerde, roman over de gouvernante van de prinsesjes Elizabeth en Margaret. Voor alle fans The Crown en Downton Abbey. De gouvernante van Wendy Holden is gebaseerd op het ware verhaal van Marion Crawford, ook wel Crawfie genaamd, in de turbulente jaren dertig en veertig de gouvernante van de prinsesjes Elizabeth en Margaret. In 1933 accepteert de tweeëntwintigjarige Marion Crawford de baan van haar leven: gouvernante van de prinsesjes Elizabeth en Margaret Rose. De enige voorwaarde die ze stelt aan hun ouders, de hertog en hertogin van York, is dat ze een dosis normaliteit in hun bevoorrechte en beschermde leven mag brengen. Ze gaat fel tegen alle protocollen in en neemt de meisjes mee in de ondergrondse, naar het zwembad en naar Woolworth’s. Voor deze waardige post als vertrouweling van het hof betaalt ze wel een hoge prijs. Trouwen, kinderen, haar eigen mening – de Kroon komt vóór alles. In deze majestueuze roman over liefde, loyaliteit en opoffering werpt Wendy Holden schitterend licht op de jaren voordat Elizabeth de troon besteeg en toont ze de energieke gouvernante die de drijvende kracht was achter het icoon dat Elizabeth geworden is. D ‘Een indringende, gefictionaliseerde verbeelding van een vrouw die later verketterd zou worden door de geschiedenis, die helaas weerbarstiger blijkt dan je zou wensen.’ – The Mail on Sunday ‘Ontroerend en meeslepend verhaal over liefde en loyaliteit.’ – Daily Mail ‘Fascinerende roman die de lezer het verleden in trekt naar het Buckingham Palace van 1933. Een majestueus verhaal over het ongelooflijke leven van koningin Elizabeth II, vóór ze de troon besteeg.’ – Women’s World ‘Een ontroerende historische roman die vakkundig feit en fictie met elkaar verweeft in een bijzonder veehaal over het leven achter de paleismuren. Fans van de Britse royals zullen ervan smullen.’ – Booklist ‘Sprankelende roman die de wereld van de Windsors menselijk maakt, aan de hand van de dood van twee koningen, de grote gevolgen van de troonsafstand en de gevaren van de Tweede Wereldoorlog.’ – emThe Washington Post

Dans le Londres d''avant-guerre, deux petites filles se promènent avec leur gouvernante. L''une d''elles accèdera bientôt au trône. Les princesses Elizabeth et Margaret adorent Marion, qui leur fait découvrir un monde inconnu : la piscine, le métro, les grands magasins ! Entre elles se tisse un lien d''affection unique : Marion, qui veille sur les fillettes comme une mère, est leur confidente privilégiée. Au risque de sacrifier sa propre existence... Inspiré de la vie de Marion Crawford, La Gouvernante royale est un formidable roman d''amour, de sacrifice et d''allégeance. On y voit grandir, sous les yeux de Marion, Margaret et Elizabeth. On y vit de l''intérieur les drames et les joies des Windsor, de l''abdication d''Edouard VIII au glamour du couronnement d''Elizabeth II. On y découvre enfin le destin d''une jeune femme que rien ne prédestinait à vivre dans l''ombre de la famille royale.

John Downing was the pre-eminent press photographer of his generation: he led a life of adventure in wars and hotspots around the world. His memoir, Aperture, offers a unique and first hand insight into life behind the Fleet Street lens during one of the most interesting periods of world history and a golden age of photojournalism.

Voor lezers van De pianiste van Theresienstadt en De tatoeëerder van Auschwitz: een verhaal over tirannie, hoop, triomf en de kracht van muziek. Als de Tsjechische Zuzana zich in 1942 voor het Jodentransport moet melden, neemt ze in het geheim een flard bladmuziek mee: het begin van de vijfde Engelse suite van Bach. Omdat ze van zichzelf nooit mag vergeten dat er ook nog schoonheid in de wereld is, speelt ze in haar hoofd de suite telkens weer af. Drie concentratiekampen lang wordt het papiertje niet ontdekt. Als Zuzana na de oorlog meer dood dan levend terugkeert naar Praag, probeert ze daar het onmogelijke te bereiken: wereldfaam als klavecimbelist, terwijl het communistische regime fel ageert tegen zowel kunstenaars als Joden. Pas aan het einde van haar leven doet ze haar ontzagwekkende verhaal. Afwisselend vertelt deze grande dame van de Praagse Lente over de kampen en het Tsjechoslowakije van na de oorlog, twee werelden die jarenlang onderbelicht zijn gebleven.

«La musica di Bach brilla come un faro di speranza su Auschwitz e sulle brutalità del comunismo sovietico» The Financial Times «Uno straordinario memoir... Il commovente racconto di una donna che ha superato ogni ostacolo.» The Sunday Times Ha quindici anni Zuzana Růžičková, ebrea cecoslovacca, quando viene deportata nel ghetto di Terezín con la famiglia. La rau00adgazza, che ha trascorso un’infanzia felice u00adnonostante la salute cagionevole, amatissima dai genitori e con una grande passione per la musica, non ha idea dell’orrore che sta per affrontare. Ma la sua forza interiore, l’intenso legame con la madre e la musica di Johann Sebastian Bach le permetteranno di sopravvivere a Terezín, ad Auschwitz, ai campi di lavoro e a Bergen-Belsen. Non solo, riuscirà anche a partecipare a quel poco di umano che era tollerato, come la coraggiosa scuola organizzata da Fredy Hirsch per i bambini internati. Zuzana alterna il racconto dell’esperienza nei campi a quello degli anni successivi in cui, grazie all’affetto della madre e del marito, il compositore Viktor Kalabis, riesce a intraprendere con successo la carriera di clavicembalista, malgrado le mani rovinate dalla fatica e dagli stenti. Il suo amore per Bach la porterà a diventare una musicista di fama mondiale. Neppure quelli però sono anni facili: il regime comunista impone alla coppia una serie di limiti, ostacolandone la carriera e la vita. In sottofondo scorre infatti la storia della Cecoslovacchia, poi Repubblica Ceca, dalla Primavera di Praga alle repressioni, alla perestrojka, al ritorno della democrazia. Vibra in queste pagine l’appassionato racconto di una donna che ha vissuto l’orrore, ma che ha conservato sempre dentro di sé il senso del miracolo e la speranza di riportare un po’ di bellezza nel mondo attraverso la musica.

Als de Tsjechische Zuzana zich in 1942 voor het Jodentransport moet melden, neemt ze in het geheim een flard bladmuziek mee: het begin van de vijfde Engelse suite van Bach. In haar hoofd speelt ze de suite telkens weer af, die haar eraan herinnert dat er nog schoonheid in de wereld is. Drie concentratiekampen lang wordt het papiertje niet ontdekt. Als Zuzana na de oorlog meer dood dan levend terugkeert naar Praag, probeert ze daar het onmogelijke te bereiken: wereldfaam als klavecimbelist, terwijl het communistische regime fel ageert tegen kunstenaars én Joden. Pas aan het einde van haar leven doet ze haar ontzagwekkende verhaal. Afwisselend vertelt deze grande dame van de Praagse lente over de kampen en het Tsjechoslowakije van na de oorlog, twee werelden die jarenlang onderbelicht zijn gebleven.

The fictionalised story of Marion ''Crawfie'' Crawford, the progressive young working-class woman who, as royal governess for seventeen years, lived on the most intimate terms with Princess Margaret and the future Queen Elizabeth II.

In this novel, bestselling author Wendy Holden brings to life the unknown childhood years of one of the world''s most famous figures, Queen Elizabeth II, and reveals the spirited young governess who made her the icon we love today.

Marion Crawford was 22 when she became governess to the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret in 1933. A working-class girl with progressive ideas, she had intended to teach children in the Edinburgh slums. Instead, she had a ringside seat at some of the most seismic events of the 20th century. The castles and palaces housed a family frozen in time. But outside the royal gates, poverty and unemployment were breeding unrest in 1930s Britain. Hitler was on the rise in Europe. If royalty was to survive, it must draw closer to the people. And so Marion took the princesses on tubes and buses, swimming at public baths, Christmas shopping at Woolworth''s. Marion''s devotion meant personal sacrifices. Her passionate affair with a socialist ended tragically. The royals refused to let her leave to marry and start a family. But 17 years of dedication counted for nothing once she published The Little Princesses, a loving, harmless account of life as a royal governess. It earned Marion the Windsors'' lasting fury. Basing her fiction on Marion''s own accounts, plus a wide range of historical sources and her own imagination, Wendy Holden shines a captivating light into the childhood of the world''s longest reigning monarch. This is a story of conflict and contradiction, of state dinners and hunger marches, of a left-winger amongst the ultimate conservatives, of a modern woman in an ancient institution. And the divided Britain of the 1930s: the unemployment, the opportunity gap, the rise of the far right. All of this resonates with our own troubled times.

Conheça a emocionante história de Zuzana Ruzickova, pianista tcheca que sobreviveu a três campos de concentração e se tornou a primeira musicista a gravar a obra completa de Bach. Wendy Holden, autora do best-seller Os bebês de Auschwitz, escreve essa história contada pela própria pianista pouco antes de sua morte, em 2017. Nascida nos anos 30 na antiga Tchecoslováquia, Zuzana Ruzickova cresceu sonhando apenas com duas coisas: o piano e seu compositor favorito, Johann Sebastian Bach. Sua infância foi destruída quando foi arrancada de casa, em 1939, pelos nazistas, e levada para os campos de concentração de Auschwitz, Neuengamme e Bergen-Belsen. A partitura de sua sinfonia preferida de Bach se tornou um amuleto para superar a fome, a exaustão, o risco de não se tornar uma pianista por conta dos ferimentos nas mãos e uma série de perdas devastadoras. Munida desta pequena prova de que a beleza ainda poderia existir e também de sua coragem, Zuzana conseguiu sobreviver a uma das maiores atrocidades da história mundial e também ao governo opressor da Tchecoslováquia pós-guerra. Graças a seu talento e dedicação, ela se tornou uma das musicistas mais premiadas do século XX e a primeira pianista a gravar as obras completas de Bach. Cem milagres é um testemunho poderoso dos horrores do Holocausto e um testamento para as próximas gerações sobre a importância de dar voz a todos aqueles que sofreram nas mãos de governos totalitários. “Um relato emocionante sobre como o amor pela arte e a fé na humanidade podem vencer o totalitarismo ”, The Guardian

A beautiful glassmaker. Two damaged men who love her. Set in exotic Bohemia and the wilderness of an English coast, this is a story of obsession and passion and fear... The Cruelty of Beauty takes the reader on a journey into glassmaking and its parallels with the fragilities and strengths of life.

Sunday Times bestselling author Wendy Holden brings to life the unknown childhood years of one of the world''s most iconic figures, Queen Elizabeth II, and reveals the little-known governess who made Britain''s queen into the monarch we know today. In 1933, twenty-two-year-old Marion Crawford accepts the role of a lifetime, tutoring their Royal Highnesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Her one stipulation to their parents the Duke and Duchess of York is that she bring some doses of normalcy into the sheltered and privileged lives of the two young princesses. At Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Balmoral, Marion defies oppressive court protocol to take the girls on tube trains, swimming at public baths, and on joyful Christmas shopping trips at Woolworth''s. From her ringside seat at the heart of the British monarchy she witnesses the upheaval of the Abdication and the glamour and drama of the 1937 Coronation. During the war, as Hitler''s Heinkels fly over Windsor, she shelters her charges in the castle dungeons (not far from where the Crown Jewels are hidden in a biscuit tin). Afterwards, she is there when Elizabeth first sets eyes on Philip. But being beloved governess and confidante to the Windsor family has come at a cost. She puts her private life on hold until released from royal service following Princess Elizabeth''s marriage in 1947. In a majestic story of love, sacrifice, and allegiance, bestselling novelist Holden shines a captivating light into the years before Queen Elizabeth II took the throne, as immortalized on the popular television series The Crown.

Vangitseva perhedraama ja ainutlaatuinen kurkistus maailmankuulun muotitalon kulissien taa Patricia Guccin teos on yhtä aikaa sekä valaiseva katsaus Guccin muoti-imperiumin syntyyn ja satumaisiin menestyksen vuosiin että omakohtaisuudessaan koskettava kertomus tarkoin vartioidusta perhesalaisuudesta. Aldo Gucci loi isänsä perustamasta pienestä paikallisesta käsityöläisyrityksestä Hollywoodin tähtien ja kuninkaallisten tunnetuksi tekemän globaalin brändin. Huiman menestyksen päivinä vauhtisokeus vei kuitenkin miehen mennessään, ja lopulta hänet tuomittiin vankeuteen verolakien kiertämisestä. Hän joutui syrjään perheyrityksen johdosta ja sai seurata, miten seuraava sukupolvi petti hänet ja pakotti koko suvun myymään yhdessä rakennetun muotitalon kansainväliselle sijoitusyhtiölle. Dramaattisen yrityshistorian ohessa Aldo Guccin tytär Patricia kertoo myös isänsä tarkoin varjellun rakkaustarinan, jonka paljastuminen olisi 1960-luvulla johtanut muoti-imperiumin johtajan varmaan tuhoon. Patricia Gucci syntyi Aldo Guccin ja hänen sihteerinsä Brunan salaisen rakkauden hedelmänä 1960-luvun alussa, jolloin perheellisen miehen syyllistyminen aviottoman lapsen hankintaan oli Italiassa rikos. Aldo ei kutenkaan voinut mitään tunteilleen Brunaa kohtaan, ja välttääkseen skandaalin hän lähetti raskaana olleen Brunan synnyttämään Lontooseen. Myöhemmin Aldo järjesti Brunan ja Patrician lähelleen Roomaan, missä hän yritti piilotella heitä Italian viranomisilta, medialta ja omalta perheeltään. Patricia Guccin sydämeenkäyvä kertomus vanhemmistaan ja omasta salatusta elämästään perustuu hänen omiin muistoihinsa ja kokemuksiinsa, hänen äitinsä Brunan haastatteluihin sekä Aldo Guccin ylitsepursuavan runsaisiin kirjeisiin rakastetulleen. Patricia Gucci kävi koulunsa Englannissa, Italiassa ja Sveitsissä sekä opiskeli Yhdysvalloissa. Vuonna 1982 hän sai kutsun Guccin sukuyrityksen hallitukseen, missä tehtävässä hän jatkoi vuoteen 1987 saakka, jolloin yritys myytiin Invetscorpille. Hänen isänsä Aldo Guccin kuoleman jälkeen Patriciasta tuli tämän ainoa perillinen, joka on keskittynyt luomaan omaa uraa erilaisten kirjallisten projektien parissa.

Forget about Cool Britannia and Gallic Chic. Scotland is having a fashion moment... ''Effing marvellous'' JILLY COOPER. ''Funny and smart'' INDIA KNIGHT. ''Total bliss'' DAILY MAIL. London''s most glamorous glossy magazine is in trouble. Advertising revenues are non existent, and if editor Laura Lake can''t pick them up, she''s out of a job. According to those in the know, Scotland is having a fashion moment. Smart spas are offering porridge facials, and a chain of eco-hotels is offering celebrity bagpipe lessons. So Laura''s off to a baronial estate in the Scottish Highlands to get a slice of this ultra-high-end market. It''s supposed to be gorgeous, glitzy and glamorous. But intrigue follows Laura like night follows day. And at Glenravish Castle – a shooting lodge fit for a billionaire – Laura finds herself hunting for a scoop that won''t just save her job, it could save her life... WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT WENDY HOLDEN: ''A brilliant, funny read... Perfect escapism from the daily grind'' ''Move over Sophie Kinsella – there''s a new Chick Lit queen in town'' ''Escapism in its purest form... A little gem'' ''Pure fun, escapism and self indulgence. Delicious!''

The remarkable memoir of Zuzana Ruzicková, Holocaust survivor and world-famous harpsichordist. Zuzana Ruzicková grew up in 1930s Czechoslovakia dreaming of two things: Johann Sebastian Bach and the piano. But her peaceful, melodic childhood was torn apart when, in 1939, the Nazis invaded. Uprooted from her home, transported from Auschwitz to Hamburg to Bergen-Belsen, bereaved, starved, and afflicted with crippling injuries to her musician''s hands, the teenage Zuzana faced a series of devastating losses. Yet with every truck and train ride, a small slip of paper printed with her favourite piece of Bach''s music became her talisman. Armed with this ''proof that beauty still existed'', Zuzana''s fierce bravery and passion ensured her survival of the greatest human atrocities of all time, and would continue to sustain her through the brutalities of post-war Communist rule. Harnessing her talent and dedication, and fortified by the love of her husband, the Czech composer Viktor Kalabis, Zuzana went on to become one of the twentieth century''s most renowned musicians and the first harpsichordist to record the entirety of Bach''s keyboard works. Zuzana''s story, told here in her own words before her death in 2017, is a profound and powerful testimony of the horrors of the Holocaust, and a testament in itself to the importance of amplifying the voices of its survivors today. It is also a joyful celebration of art and resistance that defined the life of the ''first lady of the harpsichord''- a woman who spent her life being ceaselessly reborn through her music. Like the music of her beloved Bach, Zuzana''s life is the story of the tragic transmuted through art into the state of the sublime.

Devemos aceitar cegamente o que o destino nos apresenta, ou transformar nossa má sorte em triunfo? Essa foi a escolha com que Chris Graham se deparou quando, aos 34 anos, foi diagnosticado com uma forma rara da doença de Alzheimer que já havia levado seu pai ainda jovem e colocado seu irmão numa clínica aos 43. A notícia virou o mundo de Chris de cabeça para baixo. Militar de carreira, ele havia acabado de descobrir que sua namorada, Vicky, estava grávida. Assim, ele se viu diante da dispensa do Exército, por motivos de saúde, e da terrível decisão de levar em frente a gravidez, sabendo que a criança possuía 50% de chance de herdar o gene da doença. Vicky estava convencida de que o bebê deveria viver e decidida a ficar ao lado de Chris. Após o nascimento do filho, Chris decidiu desafiar a si mesmo e embarcou em uma viagem de mais de 25 mil quilômetros pela América do Norte em sua inseparável bicicleta. Seu intuito era aumentar a conscientização para a doença de Alzheimer e arrecadar fundos para pesquisa. Munido apenas da bicicleta, de seu grande senso de humor e de uma determinação capaz de vencer todos os obstáculos, ele correu contra o tempo e contra a própria doença. Minha aventura contra o Alzheimer é a narrativa da épica jornada de Chris e da luta que ele e Vicky enfrentam todos os dias, enquanto ele se voluntaria para diversas pesquisas científicas na esperança de descobrir uma cura que certamente chegará tarde demais para si mesmo, mas talvez salve seus descendentes. Inspiradora e comovente, a história de Chris é um relato emocionante de um homem que se recusa a desistir de lutar.

Top reporter Laura Lake has struck journalistic gold. She''s discovered a super-exclusive English village where the rich and famous own weekend retreats. Where film stars, Turner-prize winners and Cabinet ministers park their helicopters outside the gastropub and buy one hundred pounds of sourdough loaves from the deli. Outsiders are strictly forbidden. But luckily Laura''s best friend Lulu, a logo-obsessed socialite with a heart as huge as her sunglasses, suddenly fancies a quiet life in the country. The door to this enchanted rural idyll opens for Laura. Revealing a great professional opportunity. Can Laura write an expose before the snobbish villagers suss her true identity? And before the world''s poshest pub quiz triggers a political scandal not seen since Profumo?