A Book Review, Princess Diana Survivor

The last few months have seen the publication of many books and articles and airing of lots of TV shows about Diana, Princess of Wales who died twenty years ago this past August. These shows and articles usually examine Diana’s final days and explain what effect her death and funeral had on both her close family and the country in general. Diana Survivor is rather different to many of these publications, firstly because it is a novel and secondly because, in the book, Diana wakes up in Paris after surviving the car crash.

The book, by author Dean Dudley, was first published three years ago, but a special edition for the anniversary of Diana’s death has recently been released. The author says that the book was created for “everyone who still misses Diana and wonders what might have happened if she had lived”.

Although the book is not entirely historically accurate, because real stories have been intertwined with fiction, it has been well researched. The story tracks Diana’s progress as she recovers from her accident and snippets of information come back to her from the past as she regains her memory. Through these flashbacks, the author has managed to tie in stories from Diana’s youth, her marriage to Charles and also fictionalised accounts which make the book more entertaining.

Whilst the book is funny and gripping, it is also easy to forget that the story is about Diana, Princess of Wales at times, as the life that the Diana in the book leads after waking up from her accident is rather different to what we are used to. Diana’s life in the book is rather far-fetched and the way she writes her diaries, whilst entertaining and engaging, can also seem unlikely as there is a lot of sexual content and explicit language. If this were a supposedly true historical account, then portraying the Princess in such a light could be deemed disrespectful, but Dean Dudley gets away with it by making it clear that it is a work of fiction.

As a story, the book is an engaging read. The tale is full of unexpected events and twists; from Diana giving birth to the child of Dodi al-Fayed and moving to the USA to a dark plot involving terrorism and kidnap in the wake of the 9/11 attack. If you are looking for an accurate or academic portrayal of Diana’s life, then this book is not for you. If, however, you are a fan of Diana's who has always wondered what might have happened if she had lived, then Diana Survivor offers the glimpse into a what may have been that many people have been thinking about.

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Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to host World Mental Health day event

The Duchess of Cambridge was last seen publicly in August viewing a tribute garden for the late Diana, Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace. It would be her last public engagement before the announcement of her third pregnancy was announced earlier this month. Catherine again is suffering from severe morning sickness, which has forced her to cancel previously scheduled events.

Kensington Palace today announced that the Duchess, alongside the Duke and Prince Harry, will make her first public appearance since the pregnancy announcement at an event held at Buckingham Palace on October 10th for World Mental Health Day.

This is the next step in the royal trio’s campaign centred on ending the stigma surrounding mental health in the UK. Earlier this year, the three royals attended the London Marathon in support of mental health.

This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day, which is held every year in October, is to showcase mental health in the workplace. Mental health professionals will have the opportunity to discuss the need for improvement of services and how services can assist those in need.

The Mental Health Foundation, with the assistance of UNUM, has released a free ebook discussing how mental health can be managed in the workplace.

The book description, in general reads: “It looks at safeguarding staff wellbeing, addressing problems before they become severe, and supporting staff when issues do emerge. It’s not about becoming an expert in mental health – it’s about spotting the signs that something might be wrong. It will signpost the right support and resources and offer suggestions for putting strategies in place to support good mental health.”

The event at Buckingham Palace will honour those in the mental health sector throughout the UK who have dedicated their lives to changing the conversation surrounding care and mental illness. It will recognise the hard work, dedication, and progress made by those professionals who have made efforts to raise awareness over the past several years.

The royal trio will also thank those who continue to provide support to people going through difficult times in their lives.

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Duke of Cambridge Attracts Controversy over Drugs Comment

Prince William attracted some controversy earlier this week when he asked whether drugs should be legalised while on a visit to Spitalfields Crypt Trust.

“Can I ask you a very massive question - it’s a big one - there’s obviously a lot of pressure growing in areas about legalising drugs and things like that. What are your individual opinions on that?” Prince William asked three people who have benefitted from the Trust’s work.

“I know it’s a big question, but you seem like the key people to actually get a very good idea as to, you know, what are the big dangers there - what are the feelings?”

Heather Blackburn, one of the people he asked, said, “Most of the people I’ve known in recovery, 95% had massive trauma and terrible stuff happen to them and using drugs to cope, and then you get put in prison, you don’t get the facilities and the actual help you need, you get punished…it’s going to do even more harm, I think.

“You can’t just say, you know, ‘drugs are illegal’ or ‘now we can all go and do drugs’, because it doesn’t stop the fact we’re a nation of people hurting, and we can’t undo all that overnight. It takes a long period of time,” said Grace Gunn, a recovering alcoholic.

The third person questioned said that he didn’t think drugs should be legalised.

Prince William thanked the impromptu roundtable, saying, “Talking to you and being here it feels like a question I had to ask, I appreciate your honesty.”

While the Duke’s comments attracted controversy, it also drew comments from both sides of the debate.

Transform, a pro-legalisation pressure group, released a statement saying, “We are delighted that Prince William has the courage to ask one of the most crucial questions of our time.”

The Home Office also commented, “This Government has no plans to decriminalise drug misuse.”

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The Duke of Cambridge jokes about his hair

Prince Willam joked about his receding hairline Tuesday morning as he kicked off a visit to a charity café in Shoreditch.

“I don’t have much hair,” he said to hairdresser Taz Kabria. “I can’t give you much business.”

Prince William was greeting the hairdressers who work next door to the café when he made the quip about his hair.

Jokes about the Prince’s hair aren’t new fodder for the Royal Family. While on their first overseas tour to the United States in 2011, the Duchess of Cambridge joked that they were late to the BAFTA Brits to Watch event because “William had to do his hair.”

The Duke of Cambridge was visiting the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, which is a charity that provides “holistic recovery service to those dealing with complex drug and alcohol addictions, and often homelessness,” per the Royal Family’s website.

The Duke visited two of Spitalfields Crypt Trust’s social enterprises: Paper & Cup, a café and bookshop; and Restoration Station, a vintage furniture and refurbishment shop.

Spitalfields Crypt Trust was founded in 1965. The Trust offers a range of services for support for recovering addicts in areas including mental health, physical health, employment, housing, careers and personal relationships.

The Duke was given three wooden owls – one for Prince George, one for Princess Charlotte, and one for the new baby - when he visited the Restoration Station.

Rhys Pritchard, the manager of Restoration Station, joked that there were three toys so no arguments would ensue. Prince William replied, “Thank you very much, yes we don’t want arguments.”

Prince William also chatted with a midwife during his visit, wishing her all the best and then joking, “I may see you sooner than you think.”

The Duchess of Cambridge recently announced that she was pregnant with her third child and is suffering from severe morning sickness – hyperemesis gravidarum – the same as she had when she was pregnant with both Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

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The Duchess of Cambridge stars in new mental health campaign for children

The Duchess of Cambridge has lent her support to a new mental health campaign in the form of a video message for the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families (AFNCCF).

The centre’s new ‘You're Never Too Young to Talk Mental Health’ features the Duchess, who is Royal Patron of the charity which offers a mental health assessment and treatment programme.


In the video, the Duchess says: “As parents, we all want our children to have the best possible start in life. Encouraging children to understand and be open about their feelings can give them the skills to cope with the ups and downs that life will throw at them as they grow up.

“It’s important that our children understand that emotions are normal, and that they have the confidence to ask for help if they are struggling.

“This is why I am proud to support the ‘You’re never too young to talk’ mental health campaign by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, which is being rolled out across primary schools this Autumn.

“The campaign’s resources are excellent tools to support parents. They demonstrate how we can help children express their feelings, respond appropriately, and prevent small problems from snowballing into bigger ones.”

The new campaign by AFNCCF aims to give parents and teachers free resources to support children learning about their mental health.

The campaign features an animated film co-produced by children & teachers, with the Duchess giving an introduction.

The Duchess of Cambridge became Patron of the Anna Freud Centre last year and has visited the charity many times since.

The centre is one of the partner charities of Heads Together, a mental health initiative by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry and their namesake foundation.

Bringing the stigmas associated with mental health out of the dark is one of Catherine’s main focus points. Many of her patronages and engagements reflect this, and she takes a particular interest in young people’s mental health.

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The Duke of Cambridge to attend the world premiere of Blue Planet II

On Wednesday, 27 September Prince William will join Sir David Attenborough and composer Hans Zimmer at the British Film Institute IMAX cinema in London for the world premiere screening of the BBC’s Blue Planet II.

The special screening aims to celebrate the show’s potential to inspire future generations of marine conservationists and will see school children from Lionel Primary School in Brentford in attendance alongside specially invited guests. The Duke of Cambridge will join the children in the cinema’s foyer before the screening as they explore interactive marine-themed learning activities and take part in experiential quizzes. Prince William will also see a live demonstration of the breathing apparatus used for underwater filming and some of the special technology which was used to film the series, such as the Megadome camera.

Prince William will then join the invited audience to watch the premiere of the Blue Planet II prequel as well as the opening episode. The five-minute series prequel will be globally launched and simulcast at midday on Thursday, 28 September and features a unique musical collaboration between Radiohead and Hans Zimmer. The first episode of the series will be broadcast on BBC One before the end of the year and promises to take viewers on a revelatory journey into our oceans. The episode will be 50 minutes in duration with an additional 10-minute ‘making of’ feature.

A generation after the original broadcast of The Blue Planet in 2001, the BBC returns to the watery depths for the new series, which is a culmination of four years’ work and 125 expeditions across 39 countries on every continent and across every ocean. As cutting-edge breakthroughs in science and technology continue to transform our knowledge of what goes on beneath the waves, Blue Planet II is set to reveal otherworldly places and extraordinary new animal behaviours in the final frontier.

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