The pain and the privilege - Ffion Hague

With exclusive access to papers long out of the public realm, the wife of William Hague focuses on the life of David Lloyd George: prime minister, devoted public servant and habitual womaniser. The Bookseller.

"Men's lives are a perpetual conflict. The life that I have mapped out will be so especially - as lawyer and politician. Woman's function is to pour oil on the wounds - to heal the bruises of spirit.and to stimulate to renewed exertion."

Lloyd George was a man who loved women and the tale of his intertwined relationships contains many mysteries and a few unsolved intrigues. He was cited in two divorce cases, was rumoured to have fought a duel over a woman in Argentina, and had persuaded the prettiest girl in Criccieth to be his wife. Lloyd George's life was indeed a 'perpetual conflict'. He was a habitual womaniser and despite his early, enduring attachement to Margaret Owen, marriage did not curb his behaviour. There were many private scandals in a life devoted to public duty.

Ffion Hague illuminates his complex attitude to women. Her own interest stems from the many parallels in her own life.