Frances Dimond

Frances Dimond grew up in St Marylebone, London, and was educated formally at Hampden Gurney School, The Grey Coat Hospital and Bedford College, London University. Her informal education came from libraries, second-hand bookshops, relatives' memories, generous book-giving friends and anything that had any connection with historical royal persons, notably the Russian Imperial Family and Queen Alexandra. Having gained her BA degree and taken advice, she wrote to the Royal Librarian to enquire...See more

Frances Dimond grew up in St Marylebone, London, and was educated formally at Hampden Gurney School, The Grey Coat Hospital and Bedford College, London University. Her informal education came from libraries, second-hand bookshops, relatives' memories, generous book-giving friends and anything that had any connection with historical royal persons, notably the Russian Imperial Family and Queen Alexandra. Having gained her BA degree and taken advice, she wrote to the Royal Librarian to enquire about jobs in the Royal Archives. During a temporary year in the Royal Library, she began cataloguing and identifying royal photographs. In 1970 she was appointed Assistant Registrar in the Royal Archives, working initially with documents as well as photographs, but later entirely with the latter. By 1977 she had become, officially, the first Curator of the Royal Photograph Collection. This involved cataloguing, answering enquiries, giving talks, compiling exhibitions, writing catalogues and, in 2004, "Developing the Picture, Queen Alexandra and the Art of Photography". Since 2006 she has worked on the current book, giving her greater insight into a royal life than she would ever have believed possible. In a lighter vein, Frances Dimond also enjoys art, theatre, amateur acting, singing, and dancing, dressmaking and socialising with friends and relatives. See less