→48 The Australian Women’s Weekly|OCTOBER 2019
ffrey &Mary
ARCHERExclusive
I
n thesumptuoussurroundingsoftheirfamous
Londonapartment,LordArcher,thebest-
sellingnovelist,andhiswife,DameMary,are
seated,kneestogether,elbow-to-elbow,much
astheydidontheirfirstdate, 56 yearsago.
TheywenttoseeDrNoat a cinemain Oxford,
wherebothwerestudents.Shy,studiousMaryhad
noideawhoJamesBondwas,anddidn’tknow
muchmoreabouttheyoungmansittingnexttoher.
Theyearshavetaughthera lot,andasthebrainier
halfofoneofthemostpicked-overmarriagesof
moderntimes,Marymaybetheonlypersonwho
trulyunderstandstheboisterous,bafflingbundle
ofenergythatis herhusband.“Iwouldn’tsayI’m
surprisedthatJeffreyandI arestilltogether,but
I amquietlypleasedaboutit,”Marysays.“Lotsof
peopleI knowhaveverycomplicatedlives,sofor
us,thesimple,if slightlyunusual,lifewehavetakes
outmuchofthetension,andthathelpsus.”
Jeffreynodsappreciatively.Hehassoldmorethan
400 millionbooksbuthisownstoryis equallyepic,
beinganextraordinarytrue-lifetaleoftriumph,
disaster,power,scandal,goodworksandignominy.
Now, at 80, he has embarked on a seven-part seriesofnovelsthathesays,witha slightwince,“obliges
metostayaroundfora bitlonger”.
“I’msureyouwillmanageit,darling,”saysMary.
TheirpenthouseabovetheThamesis renowned
forbothitssensationalviewsoverLondonand
thehigh-poweredpartiesstagedhere.Oneguest
remembersbeingtold,“Theloo’spastthePicassos,
downthecorridorandrightat theMonet.”Thetable
topsaresprinkledwithphotographsofMargaret
Thatcher(Jeffrey’sformerbossandpoliticalheroine),
Diana,Princessof Wales,assorteddignitariesand
celebritiesandtheArchers’childrenandgrandchildren.
It is a homethatspeaksnotjusttothewealthand
tasteoftheoccupants,butoftheirratherrefreshing
inabilitytoliveanyotherway.Eighteenyearsago,
Jeffreywasjailedforcommittingperjuryduringa
notoriouslibeltrial.Hisreputationwasdestroyed,
hispoliticalcareerbroughttoanendovernight,
hisplacein theprivilegedcirclesofsocietylost.
NooneexpectedMary– humiliatedbythe
salaciousevidencethathademerged– tostaywith
him.YettheArcherstoughedit out,stucktogether,
andtodaytheirjointbrandshinesbrighterthan
ever. Jeffrey’s books sell by the truckload,He’stheflamboyant,best-sellingnovelistandformerpolitician
whofamouslyspenttwoyearsinjail.She’sthecoolchemistrydon
whomiraculouslystoodbyhisside.WilliamLangleymeets
JeffreyandMaryArcherintheirstunningLondonhome.
PHOTOGRAPHYby HUGO BURNAND • STYLINGby JANE SINCLAIR