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5.0 out of 5 stars
This ought to be in pictures . . ., May 12 2001
Hello--BBC? Are you there, old chaps? I say, there is this terrific novel that would make an absolutely smashing episode of MYSTERY or one of those type programs which you all do so well. Death & the Princess--no, no! not *that* Princess--by Robert Barnard just cries out for a visual treatment. There's this hunky Scotland Yard Superintendent with a bit of Toff in his history somewhere there, and a name that could hardly be more Brit. Peregrine Trethowan. Now I ask you! Of course, he's married (aren't they all) and has a young son, to boot, so he wouldn't be up to much in the way of hanky-panky, but still--that gorgeous young man who played Mr. Darcy in your recent P & P, would be ideal in this role. Anyway, the Princess here is Helena, who is a many-times removed sprig of the current residents of Buckingham Palace, via her now-deceased Mama. Her Bavarian Papa, Prince Rupert, has managed to wangle himself into a position with the current Prince of Liechtenberg, and that entourage is about to visit London. This promises to create a bit of a stir, you see, because the Princess likes to have things happen. Especially when she's there to watch! In her ordinary life, Helena is a charming young miss (rather reminds me of the second Miss Bennett in that aforementioned P & P) who cheerfully carries out all the 'meet and greet' type tasks assigned to her by the higher-ups, in exchange for which she has a 'grace and favor' at Kensington Palace. Athough the Royals don't really specialize, as such, it seems as though Helena visits an awful lot of places that cater to the elderly, and does it cheerfully, too! She even manages to have a private life, of sorts. There's that young, and supposedly Honorable Edwin Frere, and the Northern Ireland footballer Jimmy McAphee, the MP (from perhaps the wrong side of the aisle) Harry Bayle, and the current acting sensation, Jeremy Styles (who once did portray the aforementioned Mr. Darcy) in the current batch. Oh, and let us not forget the reporter Bill Tredgold. Unfortunately, he's no longer with us, having had a gas heater do exactly the wrong thing while he was staying at a Tudor era inn near Shrewsbury. Well, there you have the cast of characters, except for a short star turn by Edwina, Lady Glencoe, that is. (You can read all about her on page 136 of the first edition.) There's even a bang-up plot that comes to light when a old lay-about mumbles something about a threat to the Princess. I think you really will have to read this for yourself, old chaps, to see just how it goes together so neatly. And such perfectly delicious political satire thrown in for good measure. I can just hear that first-person narration now . . .
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