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"I was riveted from beginning to end" Magnus LinklaterFor two nights at a house party at Tranby Croft, the residence of one of the richest men in England, a card game is played, instigated by the Prince of Wales. One of the players, Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gordon-Cumming Bt, Scots Guards, is accused of cheating. A classic Victorian melodrama: vast amounts of money, illegal gambling, the Royal Family, mistresses, bed-hopping, cover-up, deception and blackmail. The saga ranges from the wind-swept remoteness of Gordonstoun in Scotland, big game hunting in Africa and India, to life in the Guards in London and action in the Zulu Wars and Egyptian Campaign of 1882.For the first time, the Gordon-Cumming family papers are brought to light, including many of Sir William's diaries and letters, as well as letters from The Royal Archives at Windsor Castle that detail the anxieties amongst the Royal Family. Previously undiscovered, there are more than mere coincidental connections between Gordon-Cumming and the Intelligence community. What was he really up to and why didn't the Prince, his close confidant and friend, bail him out? Views of present-day descendants of those involved are also revealed for the first time. Was Gordon-Cumming a cheat or not? Or was he the scapegoat for something which is shrouded in even more mystery? Praise for Royal Betrayal: "This gripping account of one of the great Victorian scandals, involving gambling, royalty and deeply ingrained class prejudice, sheds new light on an affair that transfixed society and the press in the 1890s. Michael Scott has turned it into a detective story, with a colourful cast-list and a dramatic conclusion. I was riveted from beginning to end." Magnus Linklater"Michael Scott's spellbinding book provides the definitive account of the Tranby Croft gambling scandal which rocked the monarchy over a century ago. Scott has unearthed new evidence and his forensic analysis makes this an unputdownable read. Downton Abbey meets Flashman in this gripping story of the playboy Prince of Wales and the arch-cad Sir William Gordon-Cumming. Did Gordon-Cumming cheat at baccarat with the Prince? Read this book to find the answer." Jane RidleyMichael Scott was commissioned into the Scots Guards in 1960. After worldwide regimental service, he led the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards in the Falklands War and was awarded the DSO. He was subsequently a brigade commander in Northern Ireland and, as a Major General, commanded the Army in Scotland and was appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1993. On leaving the Army, he was selected to be the first Complaints Commissioner to the Bar Council dealing with complaints against barristers. His first book, In Love and War - the Lives of General Sir Harry and Lady Smith, co-written with David Rooney, was published by Pen & Sword in 2008; paperback - Surrender at New Orleans. His second book, Scapegoats - Thirteen Victims of Military Injustice, was published by Elliott & Thompson, in 2013.… (más)
A brief extract from this book, discussing press reaction in 1891 after the Tranby Croft trial, which is the subject of the book: '...he [Edward Prince of Wales, later Edward VII] had a son who was perfectly able to assume the throne, and of course, did so in 1910 as George V'. The author seems to have forgotten that in 1891, the Prince's elder son Albert Victor was still alive and would have been expected to inherit from the throne from his father. And Albert Victor had been mentioned earlier in the book in a discussion of the Prince of Wales' failings. But that oversight is unfortunately typical of a book in which such lapses are common – at another point, for example, he refers to 'Edwardian society' while discussing the latter years of Victoria's reign. The author is a soldier turned amateur historian, who thinks he knows about the law because at one stage after leaving the Army he dealt with complaints against barristers. Nor is inaccuracy the only fault. Editing generally is sloppy, and quite often people are referred to with no explanation or background, or even sometimes relevance (for example Mary Queen of Scots' third husband, Bothwell).
The author, being a military man, includes swathes of miltary history about Sir William Gordon-Cumming, much of which is superfluous or irrelevant; his life and character could have been illustrated much more succinctly. Not do readers need pages about incidents in the family history of Gordon-Cummings' bride.
A chapter on Gordon-Cummings' supposed secret service/spying activities is a mishmash of speculation, because there is no hard evidence.
The best parts of the book are the chapters on the trial itself – because for these the author has been able to use trial transcripts and is largely just providing a summary of the trial.
The book is not uninteresting – but it could have been much better. ( )
"I was riveted from beginning to end" Magnus LinklaterFor two nights at a house party at Tranby Croft, the residence of one of the richest men in England, a card game is played, instigated by the Prince of Wales. One of the players, Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gordon-Cumming Bt, Scots Guards, is accused of cheating. A classic Victorian melodrama: vast amounts of money, illegal gambling, the Royal Family, mistresses, bed-hopping, cover-up, deception and blackmail. The saga ranges from the wind-swept remoteness of Gordonstoun in Scotland, big game hunting in Africa and India, to life in the Guards in London and action in the Zulu Wars and Egyptian Campaign of 1882.For the first time, the Gordon-Cumming family papers are brought to light, including many of Sir William's diaries and letters, as well as letters from The Royal Archives at Windsor Castle that detail the anxieties amongst the Royal Family. Previously undiscovered, there are more than mere coincidental connections between Gordon-Cumming and the Intelligence community. What was he really up to and why didn't the Prince, his close confidant and friend, bail him out? Views of present-day descendants of those involved are also revealed for the first time. Was Gordon-Cumming a cheat or not? Or was he the scapegoat for something which is shrouded in even more mystery? Praise for Royal Betrayal: "This gripping account of one of the great Victorian scandals, involving gambling, royalty and deeply ingrained class prejudice, sheds new light on an affair that transfixed society and the press in the 1890s. Michael Scott has turned it into a detective story, with a colourful cast-list and a dramatic conclusion. I was riveted from beginning to end." Magnus Linklater"Michael Scott's spellbinding book provides the definitive account of the Tranby Croft gambling scandal which rocked the monarchy over a century ago. Scott has unearthed new evidence and his forensic analysis makes this an unputdownable read. Downton Abbey meets Flashman in this gripping story of the playboy Prince of Wales and the arch-cad Sir William Gordon-Cumming. Did Gordon-Cumming cheat at baccarat with the Prince? Read this book to find the answer." Jane RidleyMichael Scott was commissioned into the Scots Guards in 1960. After worldwide regimental service, he led the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards in the Falklands War and was awarded the DSO. He was subsequently a brigade commander in Northern Ireland and, as a Major General, commanded the Army in Scotland and was appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1993. On leaving the Army, he was selected to be the first Complaints Commissioner to the Bar Council dealing with complaints against barristers. His first book, In Love and War - the Lives of General Sir Harry and Lady Smith, co-written with David Rooney, was published by Pen & Sword in 2008; paperback - Surrender at New Orleans. His second book, Scapegoats - Thirteen Victims of Military Injustice, was published by Elliott & Thompson, in 2013.
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'...he [Edward Prince of Wales, later Edward VII] had a son who was perfectly able to assume the throne, and of course, did so in 1910 as George V'. The author seems to have forgotten that in 1891, the Prince's elder son Albert Victor was still alive and would have been expected to inherit from the throne from his father. And Albert Victor had been mentioned earlier in the book in a discussion of the Prince of Wales' failings. But that oversight is unfortunately typical of a book in which such lapses are common – at another point, for example, he refers to 'Edwardian society' while discussing the latter years of Victoria's reign. The author is a soldier turned amateur historian, who thinks he knows about the law because at one stage after leaving the Army he dealt with complaints against barristers.
Nor is inaccuracy the only fault. Editing generally is sloppy, and quite often people are referred to with no explanation or background, or even sometimes relevance (for example Mary Queen of Scots' third husband, Bothwell).
The author, being a military man, includes swathes of miltary history about Sir William Gordon-Cumming, much of which is superfluous or irrelevant; his life and character could have been illustrated much more succinctly. Not do readers need pages about incidents in the family history of Gordon-Cummings' bride.
A chapter on Gordon-Cummings' supposed secret service/spying activities is a mishmash of speculation, because there is no hard evidence.
The best parts of the book are the chapters on the trial itself – because for these the author has been able to use trial transcripts and is largely just providing a summary of the trial.
The book is not uninteresting – but it could have been much better. (