Novel tells of 'Princess Diana's life in US after faked death'
Novelist Monica Ali today told how she imagined Diana, Princess of Wales faking her death after becoming "utterly transfixed" with her life.
The writer's Untold Story, out this month, looks at how Diana's life might have turned out if she had not been killed in 1997. Her princess, Lydia, abandons her two sons and moves to a small American town to escape her fame.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Ali, whose first novel Brick Lane was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, says: "I have often wondered what would have happened to Diana if her life had not been cut short by tragedy.
"At the time of her death she appeared to be at a crossroads, pushing forward as a serious humanitarian campaigner while her personal life grew ever more turbulent. Had she lived, how would she have matured into her 40s and beyond?"
Ali tells of her shock on being told of Diana's death, aged 36, and says that she was attracted to Diana by her rebellious streak, the "way that she suffered" and how she often longed to escape her life.
She writes: "Of course, it is a fantasy, a fairy tale. Yes, I took my cue from Diana's escape fantasy. But mainly I was interested in exploring identity how much of what shapes us is innate, and how much is determined by our environment? Is it really possible to leave your troubles behind? That's what I wanted to explore.
"But I also wanted to pay tribute to one of the most extraordinary and misunderstood women in recent
history."
