The Princess by Wendy Holden

It was all she ever wanted. Until her dreams came true...

The moving new novel about the young Diana.

Diana believes in love. Growing up amid the fallout of her parents' bitter divorce, she takes refuge in romantic novels. She dreams of being rescued by a handsome prince.

Prince Charles loves his freedom. He's in no rush to wed, but his family have other ideas. Charles must marry for the future of the Crown.

The right girl needs to be found, and fast. She must be young, aristocratic and free of past liaisons.

The teenage Diana Spencer is just about the only candidate. Her desperation to be loved dovetails with royal desperation for a bride.

But the route to the altar is full of hidden obstacles and people with their own agendas.

When she steps from the golden carriage on her wedding day, has Diana's romantic dream come true?

Or is it already over?

Princess Diana hit the headlines when I was nine years old, perfect timing for me to buy into the fairytale and fall in love with her. I had my hair cut into Diana’s short style
and I had one of her jumpers, well an Asda version, covered in sheep with one little black sheep in the bottom corner. When we look back at her life in retrospect, it could be that she was trying to tell us something. This book focuses on Diana’s earlier years, from her schooldays until that fairytale of a wedding which seemed to cement her into the consciousness of everyone, across the world. It was interesting to read more about her single life before dating Charles, a period that struck me as interesting when it was dramatised in The Crown. She had a busy, fun lifestyle sharing a flat with three friends and working in a nursery. Then as soon as the engagement was announced she was taken into apartments at Buckingham Palace, totally closed off from outside, but also from other members of the royal family. It was quiet, almost like a church, with no one reachable by phone and Charles on a tour abroad. His only thought in terms of company was to introduce her to Camilla Parker Bowles.

The book did well when describing the dysfunctional way the Royals live. It’s an almost surreal existence with very specific rules to live by. When I read how much time each member spends alone I started to understand why they all have dogs. They don’t eat together daily, non-royals don’t come to the palace unless invited and each royal has their own quirks. For a 18-19 year old wandering round empty rooms and not being able to talk to friends must have been totally isolating. It was for her security of course, but it also meant she could be trained to fit the role she would play. She must have been so lonely. I’ve clearly read a lot of the same books as the author, because I knew about King Charles’s very odd boiled egg habits and the Queen Mother’s exploits in her home at Clarence House, but there were some things that were new to me.

It was clear that Diana was a young girl full of life and romantic ideas about men and marriage. Wendy Holden tells the story through the eyes of Diana, her best friend at boarding school Sandy and Stephen Barry who was the Prince of Wales’s valet. The girls read paperback romances, the type of story written by Diana’s relative Barbara Cartland. When the girls imagine love at the age of 13, they imagine it being: ‘like a particularly delicious bath, deep and warm, with lots of bubbles.’ It conjures up a sense of comfort and pampering that I do actually feel sometimes with my other half, but a man who doesn’t know what love means isn’t equipped to love like that. The only people who pampered him were his servants, how can you provide what you’ve never had? I think Holden has captured the essence of a girl in adolescence, dreaming what her life might be. She’s a lively, bubbly girl who loves music and the company of others. She has a shy charm that’s so endearing, but her parents divorce has left a mark and I wondered whether it instilled in her a determination to get it right, which left me feeling a little sad for her.

The second section of the novel definitely has a a melancholy feel, that shows us how well the author has brought the fun, young Diana to life. This is such a contrast. It also makes us realise how young she was to get married anyway, never mind becoming a future Queen of England. It is only six years since that journey with Sandy to boarding school. So, when she becomes engaged to the then Prince of Wales she was probably still expecting the comfort and care of a warm bath. She must have been disappointed at this moment. I always feel that Diana married the people on that day, rather than Charles. When she has some late doubts her sister Sarah warns her that her face is already on the tea towels. It’s too late. The pressure must have been immense. She has spent months hounded by the press and the famous moment where photographers captured her with a see through skirt is just one incidence of naivety on her part. She’s been getting thinner and her wedding dress needed taking in constantly. This isn’t the fairy tale love she’s dreamed about, more the matchmaking of two grandmothers living in the past and desperately trying to break off Charles’s adulterous relationship with Camilla.

I think the author attempted something very difficult here, to create a unique view of a story that’s a modern parable. Everyone knows a version of what happened. So, to create something that captures the voice of the most well known woman in the world, while bringing something new to her story, is near impossible. I think she partly succeeds. I didn’t learn anything new, but I did feel that I was listening to Diana in this story. It doesn’t have that compelling quality, because we already know about the divorce in 1996 and her death only a year later. I felt there was a bit of fire in this girl, despite her naivety. The rude awakening that she was simply a brood mare fuelled a fightback - the Andrew Morton book, the interview with Bashir and that last poignant summer are her pushing back against a system she felt used and abandoned by. A desperate need to be heard. I thought it was interesting to know she spent time with Princess Margaret, another young, royal woman who learned early on that her happiness came very low on the list of priorities. The royals never tried to be her family, missing that warmth and heart Diana was known for. I think this warmth, plus her fight and desire to buck the system is perhaps inherited by her son Harry. This was a well-researched book that really captured the spirit and personality of the most famous woman in the world.

I love Princess Diana so I really wanted to read this. At the beginning I fell into it and couldn't put it down.
I liked how it told her story but from different points of view and about how much she wanted that life, a life she thought she knew. However when she finally got it it wasn't what she expected.
I have always felt for Diana and wished she had got her happy ever after.
I enjoyed the book but as it got to the middle not much was happening. A good read but one I didn't fall in love with.

I always feel of all the Princess stories, this is the one most of us know or at the very least be aware of. I read this book as fiction BUT I felt there were parts that rung true and she was always described as being fun and this was there amongst the pages. Going to read more of the series for sure.

Mixed in with actual events and facts is this fictional story of Lady Diana growing up and dreaming of her own fairytale romance. From her days at school, home life at Althorp, and sharing a house in London with her friends, the picture is painted of a warm, kind and naive young woman who believes in love and happy ever afters. It is also a look at what it is really like growing up in stately homes and boarding schools, and within families who share titles and heritage, but are completely dysfunctional otherwise. How much of what the media painted as the ultimate romantic story was really orchestrated by the Palace as the author suggests we will never know, however, this could have some basis in truth. Well written and researched, this was a wonderful read, and just makes you feel for the young innocent Diana who hoped for so much more than the flawed Prince Charming she got.

Beautifully written about the peoples princess. If you have an interest in the Royals or Diana in particular, this should be on your TBR.

Lovely, insightful and stunning book.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

Definitely worth reading, The book covers Princess Diana's life from her schooldays to her wedding in 1981. It was interesting to have the focus on Diana's life prior to her entry into the Royal Family,The author really brings out the weird, surreal life that the Royal Family leads. A great insight.

Such a fascinating read. I was super impressed with the way this was written. Beautiful. Thank you for the opportunity read and review this wonderful book about a beautiful lady. A true princess.

The narrative is engaging and skillfully constructed. Learning about Princess Diana's early years was illuminating, filling in many details of her formative life. Some elements touched my heart deeply. However, it also uncovered the hidden sway of influential figures making choices out of her sight. It portrayed the deep isolation she felt in her marriage. In summary, it's a moving account of a young woman's journey to becoming Princess Diana, characterized by the solitude and sadness she faced leading up to her premature passing.

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of #ThePrincess.

The most famous woman in the world, the conspiracies and The Firm. This book brings us back in Lady Diana Spencers life to school days, through the eyes of school friend. This 'Ficton but closely related to real life' book is eye opening and revealing in the most well known Princess story.
I found this book heartbreaking, especially when it kept highlighted the fact the Diana was just so young when her life was turned upside down.
I enjoyed this book, recommend.

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I really enjoyed #ThePrincess. My first time reading @wendyholdenauthor and loved her writing style. It’s lighthearted, easy to read and flows really well. A sad and intriguing story of secrets, lies and manipulation, told from Diana’s viewpoint from her early childhood at boarding school to her wedding to Prince Charles.
It’s well written with good characterisation. You can feel the emotions coming off the pages. You easily get drawn into the story. I couldn’t put it down.
Look forward to reading more from this author.
Recommend this for fans of historical fiction and British royalty/Princess Diana.
With thanks to #NetGallery @headlinebooks for an arc of #ThePrincess in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 15 August 2024.

I have read this ARC with a view to providing a review
All opinions and thoughts are my own

I've read some of this author before and always enjoyed their books
This didn't disappoint

Loved it

Despite it being 27 years since her untimely passing, the world is still fascinated with Diana, Princess of Wales.
This light hearted book written from Diana’s viewpoint of the run up to the Royal Wedding puts you in Diana’s shoes as the story is told from her viewpoint.
From her thoughts on first meeting Prince Charles to the discovery of his affair, you can feel the emotions of a young woman who had no idea of what she was really getting herself into.
The way it is written you could almost believe it was Diana herself that wrote this.

The 3rd in Wendy Holden’s “Royal Outsiders” series . The first following the late Queens Governess, the second following Wallis Simpson and now a fictionalised story following the late Diana Spencer.

The author brilliant portrays Diana’s life at school, how not everything is as it seems and just because you’re rich it doesn’t mean you’re happy. Diana believes in love, taking refuge in romantic novels after her parents divorce.
Charles isn’t in a rush to get married, but his family have other ideas. He must marry for the crown.

A brilliant historical fiction showing the ups and downs of Diana’s life before her marriage to Charles. A sad story of lies, manipulation and secrets.


Is this a love story?

“Whatever love is.”
Only you can decide.

We all know the tragic story of Princess Diana: the fairytale wedding to Prince Charles, her great philanthropic work, and two beautiful and healthy children. Underneath it all, great tragedy lurked: Prince Charles didn’t love her, their marriage was dead even before it started, and it all came crashing down when she died in Paris in 1997.

This book shows a different side of Diana. It’s worth mentioning that it’s a fictional portrayal, but a well-researched one and based on historical events.

In this book, in 1992, Diana invites Sandy, a fictional friend from boarding school, to Kensington Palace. Over lunch, she tells her the story of how she joined the Royal Family.

When growing up, Diana loved romantic novels by Barbara Cartland. She believed in ‘Love’ and wanted to have the happily ever after ending all the book heroines had. She thought she had it nailed with Prince Charles, but we soon find out that he was blowing hot and cold on her, often not speaking to her for weeks on end.

Diana was deeply naive and tried to justify his behavior. She was deeply in love with Charles, but it wasn’t reciprocated. She even justified THAT by saying he came from a ‘stuffy’ family where displaying your emotions was forbidden.

I liked how the book was told from various points of view. We mostly saw it through Diana’s eyes, but I loved the first chapter when Sandy relayed her unlikely friendship with Diana in boarding school and how she came to stay in Diana’s house during one holiday. We also hear from Stephen Barry, who was Prince Charles’ valet at that time, and even the Queen Mother.

This book offers a more intimate portrayal into Diana’s life, before she became the Princess of Wales. I definitely recommend it.

An easy to read book. I read it in one sitting in a few hours. It flowed really well and I wanted to get to the end to see what happens even though I already know the story. It presented a version of Lady/ Princess Diana's history. Although fictional, I imagine there was a lot of truth within.

I have similar feedback to others, a look back at the young princess Di, very much on her side, not very flattering to Charles and Camilla, not mind shattering but enjoyable.

This was a good holiday read - intriguing with the story with fiction and non fiction melding together.
I enjoyed it but didn't warm to the characters!

The Princess is a moving novel about the young Diana. She is compassionate, empathetic, kind, funny , warm and has romantic dreams. The Princess is a delightful read, tender, riveting and intriguing. Thank you Wendy Holden for such a rich gift!

This is the story of the early years of Lady Diana Spencer, before she became one of the most famous and beautiful faces of the 20th century. Based upon a lot of what is already in the public domain but mixed with the authors imaginings this is probably as near to the truth as we’ll ever get.
We first meet Diana as a schoolgirl where she meets and befriends a quiet unassuming girl, very far removed from her wealthy privileged background. Although they become friends, as is often the case, they drift apart once they finish school. Fast forward to ten years or so later and the two friends meet up, Diana at this stage is the Princess of Wales and boy has she a story to tell.
I really was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. So for me it’s a 4⭐️ book. Many thanks to #NetGalley for my arc of this book.