Theo Aronson

Theodore Ian Wilson Aronson (13 November 1929 – 13 May 2003) was a royal biographer with an easy manner which enabled him to meet and earn the trust of his subjects.

The son of a Latvian Jewish storekeeper, he was born at Kirkwood, South Africa[1] and educated at Port Elizabeth High School before studying Art at Cape Town University, where he acted with Nigel Hawthorne. He became a commercial artist with J. Walter Thompson in Johannesburg, then transferred to London, where he also worked part-time as a waiter. His interest in royalty began when he was a schoolboy. He saw the King and Queen and the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret at a siding near Kirkwood in 1947, and was bowled over by Queen Elizabeth's charm and skill with the crowd. Some years later, after visiting the mausoleum of Napoleon III at St Michael's Abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire, he decided to write about royal subjects.

Charming, highly intelligent, well versed in his subjects, he became known as a devoted, if sometimes quizzical, admirer of British royalty. His research included interviewing several members of the royal family, including Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (about whom he published a biography shortly after her death in 1981), the Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret,[2] as well as numerous courtiers. All were charmed by the small, dapper man who listened respectfully, had a light touch with flattery, yet was not tediously deferential.

The author of twenty-three books, he died at Frome in Somerset, aged 73.

Books by Theo Aronson

References

  1. ↑ Hugo Vickers (27 May 2003). "Theo Aronson: Royal biographer who relished a dynasty". The Independent.
  2. ↑ Theo Aronson (16 February 2002). "Honour, duty and divorce". The Spectator.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.