On a cold November day in 1895, a carriage approaches St. Thomas Episcopal Church on New York City’s Fifth Avenue. Massive crowds surge forward, awaiting their glimpse of heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt. Just eighteen, the beautiful bride has arrived not only late but in tears, yet her marriage to the aloof 9th Duke of Marlborough proceeds. Consuelo—bullied into the wedding by her indomitable mother, Alva—loves another, but a deal was made, trading Vanderbilt wealth for a title and prestige, and Consuelo was bred to obey.

At Blenheim Palace, Consuelo is confronted with an overwhelming list of duties, including producing an “heir and a spare,” but her marriage is a sham. Consuelo finds an inner strength, charming everyone from debutantes to diplomats, including Winston Churchill, as she fights for women’s rights. From the dawning of the Gilded Age to the battles of the Second World War, American Duchess is a riveting tale of Consuelo Vanderbilt’s quest to gain independence at last.