Imperial Divas

The Vicereines of India
By Penny and Roger Beaumont

In 1858 the entire landmass of India came under direct control of the British Crown. To reflect the status and role of the Governor-General as representative of the monarch to the feudal rulers of the princely states, the term Viceroy and Governor-General of India was applied. His consort was accordingly elevated to Vicereine.

Penny Beaumont illustrates the lives of these remarkable women from the first, Charlotte Canning, through to the ultimate Vicereine, Edwina Mountbatten. Among the most alluring of all of these 'Imperial Divas', was the figure of the Chicago-born Mary Leitner, wife and consort to the most dazzling of all the Viceroys, Lord Curzon. This is the biographical history of the 'Invisible Empresses', told with charm and humour, illuminating the most powerful position accessible to a woman in the age of Empire.

Penny Beaumont retired from the Texas A&M University system in 2003 where she had served as the system's first female Vice-Chancellor. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Foundation of Women.