Two years ago, I wrote a blog post about Princess Diana in fiction. As I noted at the time, so far novels about Diana, Princess of Wales have focused on her accidental death or her imagined survival.
Since I wrote that post, Monica Ali's book Untold Story has been published. It's about a princess (a thinly veiled version of Diana) who stages her own death. And now there's another book in the Diana-didn't-die genre. This one's called Princess Diana: The Day She Didn't Die. I learned about this book over at Marilyn's Royal Blog, where Marilyn Braun shares a surprisingly positive review.
Trust me, no one was more surprised than me that it was actually a good book. I was very cynical when I saw the title. Mainly because I haven't been very impressed with the fiction I have read about her.
I really thought I would have to fight to keep an open mind about it but I was truly hooked from the first paragraph. Probably because it's so different from Monica Ali's book. It deals with the 'what if' scenario if she were alive,without having to run away and assume a new identity. I guess it is possible to do a good job fictionalizing Diana after all.
There's a French book called "Lady D" that has the same premise – Diana surviving and continuing with her life. I've always wanted to read that one, but don't think it is available in English.
Yes, I recalled there being another book about Diana surviving the crash but I didn't remember the title until you'd mentioned it. Reading the descriptions about the book it sounds very intriguing. I don't understand French so I guess I'll never know!