[sophiehartman]

Hello Atarah,

just came across your thread, now years old so perhaps this is no longer of interest to you, but I am Emma Hartmann (nee Steiner)'s great-great granddaughter. I don't know anything about Colney House, but could ask my father. She did have a 'close friendship' with Edward VII, though as far as I am aware it was conducted mostly from White Lodge (now the Royal Ballet School) in Richmond Park in London. He lent her White Lodge so that he could visit her, but she ended up bankrupted by the expense of constantly entertaining the King. One tale goes that he sent her a gift of a stuffed elephant's head, which was so enormous it couldn't pass through the doors. Unfortunately it would have been unthinkable to return a gift to the King so she had to have the doors widened at vast expense which helped push her to bankruptcy. My father looks EXACTLY like George V, but the dates don't add up, so I don't think we can claim any royal blood!
All the best
Sophie