The name Margaret Greville – or, officially, ‘Mrs Ronnie Greville’ – sets off shivers of delight among royal jewellery connoisseurs. Why? Because some of the most spectacular pieces in the House of Windsor ’s vault once belonged to this woman, born in St John’s Wood in 1863 as Margaret Helen Anderson. The working-class daughter of a Scottish servant, she inveigled her way into British aristocracy ’s inner circle, becoming revered by politicians and potentates. With charm and cunning, she rose from illegitimate obscurity to the highest echelons of Edwardian society; her unimaginable wealth matched only by the power and influence she wielded over the most prominent figures of the early 20th century.

Margaret’s life was laced with scandal from the off. Her registered parents were Hel

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