‘The Prince, the Princess and the Perfect Murder’, by Andrew Rose – review

In April 1917 Edward, Prince of Wales, at a luncheon at the Crillon Hotel in Paris, had the misfortune to meet the very sexy and utterly loathsome Marguerite Alibert. A successful demimondaine, Marguerite could be amusing company, sophisticated in manner and extremely chic. Expert in bed, she was also expert at manipulating men and parting them from very large sums of money; and as all her lovers soon discovered, when crossed she proved spoilt, vindictive and possessed of a terrifying temper. The Prince fell for her at once and began an affair which lasted just over a year.

Although he was nearly 23, Edward was young for his age and naïve, and during his infatuation with Marguerite he unwisely wrote her a number of dangerously indiscreet letters, containing, among much else, comments about the conduct of the war and some abusive criticism of his father.  When eventually Edward tired of her, Marguerite apparently threatened to blackmail him, although in the event, and presumably through the intercession of the royal solicitors and Special Branch, nothing came of her threat.

This might well have been the end of the story had Marguerite not several years later married a rich Egyptian, her first marriage to a wealthy Frenchman having ended after less than a year. Once divorced she soon found another affluent backer, but that arrangement foundered when she lashed him across the face with a horsewhip during a furious argument over the menu at a fashionable restaurant in Versailles.

In order to recover her equilibrium Marguerite travelled to Cairo and it was here she met the multi-millionaire playboy, Ali Kamel Fahmy bey. Described as nervous and rather weak, Ali nevertheless was accustomed to having his way; he spent massively on cars and motor boats and at the gaming tables of Deauville, Monte Carlo and Biarritz.