Honour and Duty

Set against the backdrop of World War II and the invasion of Hungary, the life of Countess Ilona Edelsheim Gyulai outstrips fiction in this story of romantic happiness, tragedy, abduction, conspiracy, imprisonment and eventual sanctuary. When she marries Stephen Horthy — the son of Admiral Miklós Horthy, Re gent of Hungary — Countess Ilona is swept to the very forefront of Hungarian society. After her husband's untimely (and mysterious) death, the young widow plays an increasingly important role as the Regent's confidante. Her eyewitness account of much of what happened at the very highest level of government in Hungary during die war years and under the German occupation is a unique contribution to understanding the truth of why Hungary became Germany's unwilling satellite', and what part the Regent actually played in relation to the fate of Jewish and Polish people living in Hungary at that time.