Dame Barbara Cartland – Queen of Romance
Romantic Books - Barbara Cartland Pink Collection
In celebration of Dame Barbara, her iconic image and the valuable contribution she made in so many spheres during her lifetime, we would like to offer any one of the titles below as a free gift to her fans with orders for the YY Skincare Refresh Trio, which included some of Dame Barbara’s favourite YY Skincare products. See the YY Skincare Pink Selection Offer as featured at Yin Yang Skincare
Dame Barbara Cartland, DBE, CStJ was one of the most prolific writers of the 20th Century, renowned for a genre of romantic literature that she made her own, and which brought her a global readership. A sharp mind coupled with an outgoing personality and a distinctive personal style, made her an iconic figure in Britain throughout much of her life, and she became one of our most popular media personalities.
Innovative Aviator
Her life and interests were much more varied than was typically represented in the popular press, which focused on her trademark pink and glamorous style, and the importance which she attached to good nutrition & natural health therapies. Unbeknown to the majority of her readers and the general public however, Dame Barbara was a serious thinker across a broad range of subjects and a woman who made a unique contribution to Britain’s war effort. Although aero-towing for launching gliders first occurred in Germany, Barbara Cartland thought of long distance tows in 1931 and to prove the point she completed a 200-mile (360 km) tow in a two-seater glider. The idea eventually led to troop carrying gliders. Over 50 years later, in 1984, she was awarded the Bishop Wright Air Industry Award for this contribution.
A Bestseller at 26
Mary Barbara Hamilton as she was born in 1901, was the only daughter and eldest child of an affluent army family. The two World Wars were not kind to this family however and her widowed but entrepreneurial mother was forced to open a dress shop in London. This meant that after finishing school, Cartland went to work as a society reporter, at which she excelled. But after little more than a year as a gossip columnist for the Daily Express, Cartland published her first novel, Jigsaw (1925), a risqué society thriller that became a bestseller.
A Billion Books Sold
Barbara Cartland was soon established as a society figure herself and became recognised as one of the leading young hostesses in London society during the 1920s and 1930s, noted for her beauty, energy, charm and spectacular parties. But it was her repute as an authoress of a special brand of romantic fiction which has secured her place in both literary and British social history. Dubbed the “Queen of Romance” by Vogue, Cartland presented an idealised version of love, in which the heroines were always beautiful innocent young virgins and the men were dashing, manly and in today’s parlance, hot. By 1983 she was named the top-selling author in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records; she sold over one billion books in 37 languages.
Mother & Public Servant
Twice married, Barbara Cartland was mother to 3 children, and yet despite her social activities and writing, she also found time to play an important role in public life. The war marked the beginning of a life-long interest in civic welfare and politics and she served the War Office in various charitable capacities as well as the St. John Ambulance Brigade and it was for this work that Cartland was invested as a Commander of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Then in 1955 she was elected a Conservative councillor on Hertfordshire County Council, where she served for 9 years. During this time she campaigned successfully for nursing home reform, improvement in the salaries of midwives, and the legalization of education for the children of Gypsies.
Ultimate Recognition at 90
In 1991, aged 90, Barbara Cartland was invested by Queen Elizabeth II as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for the 70 years of literary, political and social contributions she had made.
Dame Barbara died in May 2000, but she left behind a series of manuscripts, that are published by her son, Ian McCorquodale, and are known as the Barbara Cartland Pink Collection.
Barbara Cartland Was A Devoted Fan of Yin Yang Skincare
Dame Barbara was a devoted fan of Yin Yang Skincare. Ian McCorquodale records “how delighted my mother was with Yin Yang all those years ago”.