From society belle in turn-of-the-century Seattle, to editor of Harper’s Bazaar and lady of a vast Scottish Highland estate that borders Balmoral Castle, The Fabulous Frances Farquharson is the colourful biography of a charming, one-of-a-kind, and sartorially flamboyant woman.

‘Reads like a fairy tale … Far from frivolous, this biography draws on original research to give a nuanced account.’ – The Lady

‘Immerse yourself in The Fabulous Frances Farquharson … an American who brought glamour and vision to the pages of this magazine, and later – as the wife of a laird – to the remote Highlands of Scotland.’ – Harper’s Bazaar

From society belle in turn-of-the-century Seattle to editor of Harper’s Bazaar and lady of a vast Scottish Highland estate that borders Balmoral Castle, Frances Farquharson was a charming, one-of-a-kind and sartorially flamboyant woman.

Born in 1902, Frances Lovell Oldham left the Pacific Northwest in her early twenties to pursue a journalism career in Europe. She transcended boundaries as a working woman in London, where she mixed with royalty, partied with the Bright Young Things and forged a close friendship with Elsa Schiaparelli.

Her story is even more remarkable given she made a career comeback after fracturing her spine during a house fire that killed her first husband in 1933. At Harper’s Bazaar, she would raise the morale of British women during the Second World War, and embarked on a fearless trade mission to the United States to boost British exports. After marrying Captain Alwyne Farquharson, the 16th Laird of Invercauld, in 1949, Frances threw herself into life as the queen’s neighbor at Balmoral and brought glamour and eccentricity to the grouse moors of Deeside.