"Precipice" by Robert Harris (August 2024)

[Moonraker]

The weekend papers are carrying reviews of Robert Harris's latest book, Precipice. 

This relates how in Summer 1914 aristocrat Venetia Stanley is having a love affair with the Prime Minister, H H Asquith, a man more than twice her age. His letters to her reveal the most sensitive matters of state. As war with Germany approaches, a (fictitious) young intelligence officer investigates a leak of top secret documents – and suddenly a sexual intrigue becomes a matter of national security.

Googling will lead you a number of bookshop listings and reviews. Today's "Culture" in the Sunday Times has an interview with Harris (all of whose books I've enjoyed).

Historians debate whether in fact the relationship was sexual. Googling "Venetia Stanley" took me to two others books about the lady.

Edited 26 August by Moonraker

[Moonraker]

In The Times today there's an article titled "Author defends steamy Asquith tale", after the Prime Minister's great-grandson described the book as "nonsense", with the depiction of the January 1915 war council meeting as "complete nonsense" and suggestions of sexual relations with Venetia Stanley as "totally ridiculous".

In his "author's note", Harris says that all the quoted letters from Asquith to her are authentic, the letters from her to him "are entirely invented".