Philip Sandeman Ziegler (born 24 December 1929) is a British biographer and historian.

Background

Born in Ringwood,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, Ziegler was educated at St Cyprian's School,

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

, and went with the school when it merged with

Summer Fields School Summer Fields is a fee-paying boys' independent day and boarding preparatory school in Summertown, Oxford. It was originally called Summerfield and used to have a subsidiary school, Summerfields, St Leonards-on-Sea (known as "Summers mi"). H ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He attended

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and New College, Oxford, graduating with a degree in

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

with highest honours before joining the British Foreign Service. In the Foreign Service, he served in Laos,

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

and Bogotá, as well as with the Delegation to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

in Paris.Biographical Note to ''The Black Death'' Penguin Books, 1982 reprint

Writing career

In 1967 he resigned from the Foreign Service, and joined the publishers Collins. Originally intending to be a novelist, he began a career as biographer with his life of Talleyrand's lover, the Duchess of Dino. He was editor in chief at Collins from 1979 to 1980. He was chosen as official biographer of Edward VIII, for which he was appointed CVO. He has written in various journals and newspapers including ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'', '' The Listener'', ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' and ''

History Today ''History Today'' is an illustrated history magazine. Published monthly in London since January 1951, it presents serious and authoritative history to as wide a public as possible. The magazine covers all periods and geographical regions and pub ...

''.

Works

*''Duchess of Dino ''(1962) on Princess Dorothea of Courland *'' Addington: A Life of Henry Addington, First Viscount Sidmouth ''(1965) *''The Black Death ''(1969) *''

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

''(1971) *'' Omdurman ''(1973) *''Melbourne : a Biography of William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne ''(1976) on

Lord Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 177924 November 1848), in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). His first pre ...

the Prime Minister *''Crown and People ''(1978) *'' Diana Cooper ''(1981) *''Mountbatten. The Official Biography ''(1985) *''Elizabeth's Britain 1926 to 1986 ''(1986) *''Diaries of Lord Louis Mountbatten 1920–1922: Tours with the Prince of Wales ''(1987) editor *''Personal Diary of Admiral the Lord Louis Mountbatten, South-East Asia, 1943–1946 ''(1988) *''The Sixth Great Power:

Barings Barings LLC, known as Barings, is an international investment management firm owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company ( MassMutual). It operates as a subsidiary of MassMutual Financial Group, a diversified financial services organis ...

1762–1929 ''(1988) *''From Shore to Shore – The Final Years: The Diaries of

Earl Mountbatten of Burma Earl Mountbatten of Burma is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 28 October 1947 for Rear Admiral Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma. The letters patent creating the title specified the following r ...

1953–1979 ''(1989) *''Edward VIII, the Official Biography ''(1990) *''

Brooks's Brooks's is a gentlemen's club in St James's Street, London. It is one of the oldest and most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in the world. History In January 1762, a private society was established at 50 Pall Mall by Messrs. Boothby and James ...

: A Social History ''(1991) editor with

Desmond Seward Desmond Eric Christopher Seward (22 May 1935 – 3 April 2022) was an Anglo-Irish popular historian and the author of many books, including biographies of Henry IV of France, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Marie Antoinette, Empress Eugénie and Napoleo ...

*''Wilson: The Authorised Life of Lord Wilson of Rievaulx ''(1993) on Harold Wilson *''London at War 1939–1945 ''(1995) *''

Osbert Sitwell Sir Francis Osbert Sacheverell Sitwell, 5th Baronet CH CBE (6 December 1892 – 4 May 1969) was an English writer. His elder sister was Edith Sitwell and his younger brother was Sacheverell Sitwell. Like them, he devoted his life to art and ...

''(1998) *''Britain Then and Now: The

Francis Frith Francis Frith (also spelled Frances Frith, 7 October 1822 – 25 February 1898) was an English photographer of the Middle East and many towns in the United Kingdom. Frith was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, attending Quaker schools at Ackwo ...

Collection ''(1999) *''Soldiers: Fighting Men's Lives, 1901–2001 ''(2001) *''Man Of Letters: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Literary Impresario

Rupert Hart-Davis Sir Rupert Charles Hart-Davis (28 August 1907 – 8 December 1999) was an English publisher and editor. He founded the publishing company Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd. As a biographer, he is remembered for his ''Hugh Walpole'' (1952), as an editor, f ...

''(2005) *''Legacy: Cecil Rhodes, The

Rhodes Trust Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is listed Grade II* ...

and

Rhodes Scholarships The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is con ...

'' (Yale University Press, New Haven & London, 2008) *''Edward Heath'' (Harper Press, 2010) * ''Olivier'' (

MacLehose Press Quercus is a formerly independent publishing house, based in London, that was acquired by Hodder & Stoughton in 2014. It was founded in 2004 by Mark Smith and Wayne Davies. Quercus is known for its lists in crime (publishing such authors as El ...

, 2013). * ''George VI: The Dutiful King'' (Penguin, 2014) * ''Between the Wars: 1919-1939'' (MacLehose Press, 2016) * ''The Black Death'' (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ziegler, Philip 1929 births Living people Alumni of New College, Oxford British biographers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at Eton College People educated at St Cyprian's School People educated at Summer Fields School Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order

Background

Writing career

Works

See also

References