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Di and I
A madcap romance finds Princess Di having an affair with Leonard Schecter--an American who prefers long-legged blondes--that culminates in a showdown between Leonard and Prince Charles. By the author of The Dreyfus Affair. Reprint. $25,000 ad/promo.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 24, 1994
4 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Peter Lefcourt
20 books31 followersPeter Lefcourt is a refugee from the trenches of Hollywood, where he has distinguished himself as a writer and producer of film and television. Among his credits are "Cagney and Lacey," for which he won an Emmy Award; "Monte Carlo," in which he managed to keep Joan Collins in the same wardrobe for 35 pages; the relentlessly sentimental "Danielle Steel's Fine Things," and the underrated and hurried "The Women of Windsor," the most sordid, and thankfully last, miniseries about the British Royal Family.
He began writing novels in the late 1980's, after being declared "marginally unemployable" in the entertainment business by his then agent. In 1991 Lefcourt published The Deal -- an act of supreme hubris that effectively bit the hand that fed him and produced, in that inverse and masochistic logic of Hollywood, a fresh demand for his screenwriting services. It remains a cult favorite in Hollywood, was one of the ten books that John Gotti reportedly ordered from jail, and was adapted into a movie -- starring William H. Macy, Meg Ryan and L.L. Cool Jay -- that premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Subsequently, he has divided his time between screenplays and novels, publishing The Dreyfus Affair in 1992, his darkly comic look at homophobia in baseball as a historical analog to anti-Semitism in fin de siecle France, which The Walt Disney Company has optioned twice and let lapse twice in fits of anxiety about what it says about the national pastime and, by extension, Disneyland. He is hopeful that a major(or even minor) motion picture will be made from it in his lifetime. The book continues to sell well in trade paperback -- it's in its fifteenth printing, and, as such, acts as a small but steady cottage industry for its author, who, at this point, would almost rather keep optioning it than have it actually made. But not really.
In 1994, he published Di And I, a heavily fictionalized version of his love affair with the late Princess of Wales. Princess Diana's own stepgodmother, Barbara Cartland, who was herself no slouch when it came to publishing torrid books, declared Di And I "ghastly and unnecessary," which pushed the British edition briefly onto the best-seller lists. Di And I was optioned by Fine Line Pictures, in 1996, and was quietly abandoned after Diana's untimely death the following year. Someday it may reach the screen -- when poor Diana is no longer seen as an historical icon but merely as the misunderstood and tragic figure that she was, devoured by her own popularity.
Abbreviating Ernie, his next novel, was inspired by his brief brush with notoriety after the appearance of Di And I. At the time he was harassed by the British tabloids and spent seven excruciating minutes on "Entertainment Tonight." He was subsequently and fittingly bumped out of People Magazine by O.J. Simpson's white Bronco media event of June, 1994. In a paroxysm of misplaced guilt, the editors of "People," to make amends, declared it a "Beach Read," which helped put the book ephemerally on the Best Seller lists during the summer of 1994. Anecdotally, however, the author spent a lot of time combing the beaches that summer without seeing a single person reading his book.
Lefcourt's research on a movie for HBO about the 1995 Bob Packwood canard was the germ for his next novel, The Woody. He began to see that the former senator's battle with the Senate Ethics Committee was a dramatization of the total confusion in America regarding appropriate sexual behavior for politicians. Packwood became the sacrificial lamb -- taking the pipe for an entire generation of men. Basically, he got his dick caught in the zeitgeist. After President Clinton got his caught in a younger zeitgeist, nearly costing him his job, The Woody became all the more topical. It asks the question: What is the relationship between a politician's sexual competence and his popularity in the polls? If Packwood had been as smooth as Clinton, he would be the majority lead
He began writing novels in the late 1980's, after being declared "marginally unemployable" in the entertainment business by his then agent. In 1991 Lefcourt published The Deal -- an act of supreme hubris that effectively bit the hand that fed him and produced, in that inverse and masochistic logic of Hollywood, a fresh demand for his screenwriting services. It remains a cult favorite in Hollywood, was one of the ten books that John Gotti reportedly ordered from jail, and was adapted into a movie -- starring William H. Macy, Meg Ryan and L.L. Cool Jay -- that premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Subsequently, he has divided his time between screenplays and novels, publishing The Dreyfus Affair in 1992, his darkly comic look at homophobia in baseball as a historical analog to anti-Semitism in fin de siecle France, which The Walt Disney Company has optioned twice and let lapse twice in fits of anxiety about what it says about the national pastime and, by extension, Disneyland. He is hopeful that a major(or even minor) motion picture will be made from it in his lifetime. The book continues to sell well in trade paperback -- it's in its fifteenth printing, and, as such, acts as a small but steady cottage industry for its author, who, at this point, would almost rather keep optioning it than have it actually made. But not really.
In 1994, he published Di And I, a heavily fictionalized version of his love affair with the late Princess of Wales. Princess Diana's own stepgodmother, Barbara Cartland, who was herself no slouch when it came to publishing torrid books, declared Di And I "ghastly and unnecessary," which pushed the British edition briefly onto the best-seller lists. Di And I was optioned by Fine Line Pictures, in 1996, and was quietly abandoned after Diana's untimely death the following year. Someday it may reach the screen -- when poor Diana is no longer seen as an historical icon but merely as the misunderstood and tragic figure that she was, devoured by her own popularity.
Abbreviating Ernie, his next novel, was inspired by his brief brush with notoriety after the appearance of Di And I. At the time he was harassed by the British tabloids and spent seven excruciating minutes on "Entertainment Tonight." He was subsequently and fittingly bumped out of People Magazine by O.J. Simpson's white Bronco media event of June, 1994. In a paroxysm of misplaced guilt, the editors of "People," to make amends, declared it a "Beach Read," which helped put the book ephemerally on the Best Seller lists during the summer of 1994. Anecdotally, however, the author spent a lot of time combing the beaches that summer without seeing a single person reading his book.
Lefcourt's research on a movie for HBO about the 1995 Bob Packwood canard was the germ for his next novel, The Woody. He began to see that the former senator's battle with the Senate Ethics Committee was a dramatization of the total confusion in America regarding appropriate sexual behavior for politicians. Packwood became the sacrificial lamb -- taking the pipe for an entire generation of men. Basically, he got his dick caught in the zeitgeist. After President Clinton got his caught in a younger zeitgeist, nearly costing him his job, The Woody became all the more topical. It asks the question: What is the relationship between a politician's sexual competence and his popularity in the polls? If Packwood had been as smooth as Clinton, he would be the majority lead
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 27, 2020
This book is hilarious!
My name is Diana and I have two sons who are English and American. I've always been a Princess Diana fan and I knew this book would be amusing, so I bought and read it. I'm glad I did. It made me completely forget, for a few hours, the horror of what is happening in this country.
My name is Diana and I have two sons who are English and American. I've always been a Princess Diana fan and I knew this book would be amusing, so I bought and read it. I'm glad I did. It made me completely forget, for a few hours, the horror of what is happening in this country.
October 8, 2012
This book was, obviously, funnier and cleverer before Diana died, but it's still a sweet, fluffy fantasy. Leggy aristocratic princess swept off her feet by a nice American who smuggles her and her boys to California to start over. A nice romp with likable characters and some fine plot choices.
May 27, 2018
Di and I is an alternative history of Princess Diana. Most of these types of books were written after her death. This one was written before her divorce.
There's something humorous about the book, because it was really ridiculous and it felt like the author's only research was reading Andrew Morton's biography. As a romance, there's absolutely no reason why Di would fall for Leonard, except that they danced together. It drove me absolutely batty most of the time.
I've been a fan of Princess Diana's since she married Charles, and I know a bit about royal protocol. There was one point where it mentions that if she was recognized that she'd sign autographs. THIS ISN'T DONE. Do some research when writing a book.
I truly hated how Leonard treated the other royals and for that matter how he treated Will and Harry in this book. I wanted to smack him. His portrayal of the boys was disappointing too. Will came across as a stick in the mud and Harry was just daft little boy.
Then there was Diana. Her portrayal in this book seemed like it was pulled from the bio, but other than that she's devoid of personality. She was just a cardboard character, who just happened to have sex with Leonard.
This book is labeled a romance, but the only thing that the author knows about romance is that there should be a happily ever after. In fact there's not even any conflict between the two. If Diana discovered that he was really a Hollywood writer out to do a film about her life, rather than a poet.
There was so much potential here, but it didn't live up to it at all.
There's something humorous about the book, because it was really ridiculous and it felt like the author's only research was reading Andrew Morton's biography. As a romance, there's absolutely no reason why Di would fall for Leonard, except that they danced together. It drove me absolutely batty most of the time.
I've been a fan of Princess Diana's since she married Charles, and I know a bit about royal protocol. There was one point where it mentions that if she was recognized that she'd sign autographs. THIS ISN'T DONE. Do some research when writing a book.
I truly hated how Leonard treated the other royals and for that matter how he treated Will and Harry in this book. I wanted to smack him. His portrayal of the boys was disappointing too. Will came across as a stick in the mud and Harry was just daft little boy.
Then there was Diana. Her portrayal in this book seemed like it was pulled from the bio, but other than that she's devoid of personality. She was just a cardboard character, who just happened to have sex with Leonard.
This book is labeled a romance, but the only thing that the author knows about romance is that there should be a happily ever after. In fact there's not even any conflict between the two. If Diana discovered that he was really a Hollywood writer out to do a film about her life, rather than a poet.
There was so much potential here, but it didn't live up to it at all.
May 20, 2021
It's been on my list for a long time- written before her death so it is more poignant now. He's a Hollywood writer in mid-divorce, sent to England to research a TV movie about Princess Diana (set to star Demi Moore.) She is now separated from Prince Charles. He manages to meet her, they fall in love, and elude security to start a new life as McDonalds franchisees in Rancho Cucamonga. The boys go to the local school and help out after school. The book was funny and enjoyable, but took on a different feeling now than it would have when it first came out and was just a silly (male) fantasy.
January 17, 2022
this is literally a princess diana fanfic??? another one of my moms recs. interesting choice lol. it was kind of a cute story but i felt like some of the royalty stuff was so random and unrealistic. like why was he just allowed to wander around in the palace???? v strange. the romance part was also kinda meh like they meet and it’s just instant love for some reason but there isn’t a lot of detail about their dating flirting stage i guess. it was a cute story, im glad it worked out for diana better in the book than in real life i guess rip
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2022
It's a love story but one written by someone who doesn't know what love is. Reads like an extended fantasy of a man convinced a celebrity would fall in love with him if only she met him. Unfortunately his fantasy figure doesn't have a personality of her own, while he just comes across as obnoxious and convinced of his own genius and talent with no evidence. Its an interesting idea, and might have worked for a better author who could have emphasised either the drama or the absurdity of the situation, but this just falls flat between the two.
December 11, 2025
Bizarre and extravagant: this novel presents a fever dream-like situation, an alternate version of the fairytale perhaps. The ending is pleasantly surprising.
Although this felt like reading a fanfiction, it was engaging and humorous, therefore, why not give it a read? Maybe Lefcourt was ahead of his time- this text read very much like it could've been posted online a few years ago.
Although this felt like reading a fanfiction, it was engaging and humorous, therefore, why not give it a read? Maybe Lefcourt was ahead of his time- this text read very much like it could've been posted online a few years ago.
July 27, 2019
A fun read, but not nearly his best work. Plus, not sure who edited this, but they should be ashamed. Looks like they did a quick spellcheck and left it at that.
April 1, 2022
Reads like badly written fan fiction or a teenage boy’s fantasy. Do yourself a favor and give it a miss.
August 28, 2019
Inhalt: Wir schreiben das Jahr 1994. Der Drehbuchautor Leonard ist gerade in einen Scheidungskrieg mit seiner Frau verwickelt, als er das Angebot erhält,, einen Mehrteiler über die wahre Prinzessin Diana zu schreiben. Er reist nach London und verliebt sich augenblicklich in Diana. Um ihr Nahe sein zu können verstrickt er sich in Lügen, denn auch bei Diana scheint der Funken übergesprungen zu sein.
Art des Buches: Satire
Wie fand ich das Buch? Ich habe das Buch sehr gerne gelesen, gerade mit dem Wissen, das es für Diana, die noch zum Zeitpunkt der Veröffentlichung noch lebte, keinen Leonard gab. Doch die Idee, wie ihr Leben hätte anders verlaufen können, gefiel mir sehr gut. Ob es eine Einladung zum Tee mit der Queen,Vogelbeobachtung mit Prinz Philip oder heimliche Treffen mit Di waren, ich habe mich sehr gut unterhalten gefühlt. Natürlich wird hier die königliche Familie auf den Arm genommen, aber auch die Paparazzi und ihre Arbeitsweise. Langeweile kam bei mir jedenfalls nicht auf, da der Autor gute Ideen, Humor und ein angenehmes Tempo hat.
3 passende Wörter zum Buch? Lady Diana - England - VIP
Wem empfehlen? Natürlich ist dies besonders ein Buch für Fans der Königin der Herzen aber auch Leser, die Freude an einem satirischen Blick auf das britische Königshaus haben, werden sicher ihre Freude an dem Buch haben können.
Art des Buches: Satire
Wie fand ich das Buch? Ich habe das Buch sehr gerne gelesen, gerade mit dem Wissen, das es für Diana, die noch zum Zeitpunkt der Veröffentlichung noch lebte, keinen Leonard gab. Doch die Idee, wie ihr Leben hätte anders verlaufen können, gefiel mir sehr gut. Ob es eine Einladung zum Tee mit der Queen,Vogelbeobachtung mit Prinz Philip oder heimliche Treffen mit Di waren, ich habe mich sehr gut unterhalten gefühlt. Natürlich wird hier die königliche Familie auf den Arm genommen, aber auch die Paparazzi und ihre Arbeitsweise. Langeweile kam bei mir jedenfalls nicht auf, da der Autor gute Ideen, Humor und ein angenehmes Tempo hat.
3 passende Wörter zum Buch? Lady Diana - England - VIP
Wem empfehlen? Natürlich ist dies besonders ein Buch für Fans der Königin der Herzen aber auch Leser, die Freude an einem satirischen Blick auf das britische Königshaus haben, werden sicher ihre Freude an dem Buch haben können.
December 24, 2016
Leonard Schecter is hired to write a mini-series about Princess Diana. While reading numerous books about her, he comes to believe that she is waiting for a White Knight to rescue her and he is that knight. He goes to England and under the premise of writing an epic poem about the royal family, he insinuates himself into the Royal Family. When he and Di fall in love, Leonard devises a plan for the two of them to run away, with William and Harry in tow.
Hilarious!
Hilarious!
February 9, 2016
Moderately funny weird alternate history comic novel. The repeated jokes ran thin and I felt the usual squick one feels about explicit RPFs, but at the same time, the author seemed to capture a decent likeness of Diana's positive qualities. Still, weird, especially since she was still alive when he wrote it.
December 13, 2007
Overtaken by, er, events. But hilarious, anyway.
December 16, 2010
Quirky book about Princess Diana and her surprising life in Rancho Cucamonga, managing a McDonalds. Need I say more?
August 29, 2012
This novel about Princess Diana having escaped to America, living with an average guy and joining a bowling league is so utterly outlandish that it's tremendous fun!
August 29, 2016
light and fun story with an interesting premise but ultimately not enough to turn it into a great book
Read
February 9, 2011another great Peter Lefcourt novel about a fictious affair between Princess Di and a commoner.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews