Marguerite Cunliffe-Owen

Born in Brittany in 1859, Marguerite Cunliffe-Owen was a French-born author and journalist who later built a literary career that reached readers in both Europe and the United States. She is often identified as Countess du Planty et de Sourdis, and she also published under names including La Marquise de Fontenoy.

Her writing ranged widely. She published historical novels and nonfiction works, especially books about European royalty and court life, and she became known as a syndicated newspaper columnist with a talent for making elite social and political worlds feel vivid and accessible.

She was married to journalist Frederick Cunliffe-Owen and spent part of her life in New York while continuing to write about European affairs. She died in 1927, leaving behind a body of work that blends storytelling, reportage, and fascination with the people behind public ceremony.