Diana's Rebel Heritage: Five Centuries of Scandal and Intrigue [Paperback]

Gail Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2005 | ISBN-10: 1552659011 | ISBN-13: 978-1552659014 | Edition: First Printing

In 1997, the world mourned the tragic passing of Diana, Princess of Wales. A cultural icon of her time, she was famous for her sense of style and her independent spirit. As a member of Britain's illustrious Spencer dynasty, Diana came by these attributes naturally. For over 400 years, strong, rebellious women have been a part of the Spencer family. Diana's female ancestors built fortunes, wielded political power, set fashion trends, and inspired their generations. And, like Diana, they suffered through scandals, heartbreaks and public scrutiny.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gail Douglas enjoyed a passing acquaintance with Etienne Brule during the 10 years she taught school at the elementary level in her hometown of Sault Ste. Marie. But it wasn't until she decided to write a book about this amazing character that she realized how little is really known about him. She hopes that by putting some flesh on his historical bones she has done justice to the memory of this mysterious character.

Gail left teaching to run a family retail business, then fulfilled a lifelong dream by writing for a small newspaper in Sault Ste. Marie, eventually taking over as editor. She now lives in Oakville, Ontario with her husband Tom, also an author in the Amazing Stories series. She has had 14 romance novels published by Bantam/Doubleday/Dell of New York and these have been translated into more than a dozen foreign languages.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Sarah Churchill was in mortal peril. Guards stood outside the royal quarters at the residence where she served as lady-in-waiting to Princess Anne, King James II's daughter. The outspoken Sarah had been too free with her criticisms of the king, and her soldier husband had deserted the monarch. Furious, King James had ordered her arrest. As soon as his soldiers arrived with the warrant, she would be charged with treason and taken to the Tower of London to await trial. The penalty for treason was execution. Princess Anne and two other women were in an upstairs room with Sarah; they were allies, not jailers. Anticipating the king's actions, Sarah had devised an escape plan. Using a secret staircase expressly built for the purpose, the nervous foursome crept down to a door that opened onto a side street. As arranged, two men were waiting in the shadows. These accomplices guided the women through the dark, dirty streets of London to a meeting point where they boarded a hackney coach. Cold, mud-splashed and terrified, they collapsed inside the coach, hardly daring to speak until they arrived at the home of the former Archbishop of Canterbury. From there, they began the last leg of their journey accompanied by 40 horsemen. Even with this armed escort, the fugitives breathed freely only when they reached Nottingham and found a crowd of cheering citizens lining the streets to greet them. That evening, Sarah and her co-conspirators attended a banquet to celebrate their safe arrival and the start of the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688. It was a pivotal moment for the country and the monarchy, not to mention for Sarah Churchill. On the night of the escape, and during the years to come, Sarah demonstrated a truth that might well have inspired her descendant Diana, Princess of Wales, nearly 300 years later. Sarah proved that even a powerful monarchy is no match for a woman of courage and spirit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: Altitude Publishing (Canada); First Printing edition (June 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552659011
• ISBN-13: 978-1552659014
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,060,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)