Sarah, Duchess of York is a woman of many talents - being a bestselling memoirist and children’s book author, a YouTuber and film producer - and now she can add author of romantic novels to her CV, with the release of her debut novel with Mills & Boon, Her Heart for a Compass.
The novel is inspired by the life of her great-great-aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, fusing both historical research as well as elements of her own life.
‘It all started with researching my ancestry,' explained Sarah, Duchess of York. 'Digging into the history of the Montagu Douglas Scotts, I first came across Lady Margaret, who intrigued me because she shared one of my given names. But although her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, were close friends with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, I was unable to discover much about my namesake’s early life, and so was born the idea which became Her Heart for a Compass.
'With real historical events and facts to hand, my imagination took over,' she said. 'I invented a history for her that incorporated real people and events, including some of my other ancestors. I created a friendship between my heroine and Princess Louise, Queen Victoria’s sixth child, and I drew on many parallels from my life for Lady Margaret’s journey. I have long held a passion for historical research and telling the stories of strong women in history through film and television. I am proud to bring my personal brand of historical fiction to the publishing world.'
Lady Margaret was born on 10 October 1846 and married Donald Cameron of Lochiel, 24th Chief of Clan Cameron, son of Donald Cameron of Lochiel, 23rd Chief of Clan Cameron and Lady Vere Catherine Louisa Hobart, on 9 December 1875. The couple had four sons. She died on 5 February 1918 at age 71, with not much else known about her life.
Her Heart for a Compass is out on the 3 August 2021.
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