Over in Phoenix, Arizona, a harassed 64-year-old British socialite despairs that her wayward daughter has become a law unto herself. Along with the challenges of motherhood, she endures a relationship with a duplicitous US tycoon while – over in Britain – she has two distant but beloved grown-up sons and an ex-husband… King Charles.
No, it’s not a parallel universe but the set-up for a forthcoming drama series which, The Mail on Sunday can exclusively reveal, tells the fictional story of Princess Diana if she were alive today.
Far from being a hit-job riding on the coat-tails of Diana’s depiction in Netflix‘s The Crown, the project is being driven by those closest to her: Entertainment guru Rod Gunner, whose friendship with the Princess was forged when he organised her ‘Concert of Hope’ fundraiser in 1993, and Patrick Jephson, her private secretary from 1988 to 1996.
Mr Gunner says: ‘It’s almost 28 years since Diana died and yet millions of people around the world remain fascinated by her life, legacy and personality.
‘Who hasn’t thought “What if Diana was still alive today? What would she be doing, where would she be? Would Harry and William have ended up as they have, would Camilla be Queen? What would have happened to Charles and the entire monarchy?”.’
Well, in Mr Gunner’s imagined world, Diana does not marry Dodi Fayed after they survive the Paris car crash that in reality killed them both in August 1997. (‘I don’t think that relationship would have worked out, based on what she told me,’ says Mr Gunner.)
INSTEAD, she finds love with an ‘unscrupulous’ American fund manager, once known as the ‘Wall Street Wizard’. He offers her the security she needs, but trust is hardly a feature of their marriage.
Gone is the suffocating, paparazzi-plagued life in the UK, swapped for the apparent anonymity of a desert city in the US south-west.
The Mail on Sunday can exclusively reveal a new show will tell the fictional story of Princess Diana (pictured) if she were alive today
The series has the working title Phoenix and cast auditions – including the prestigious role of Diana – are taking place along with meetings with streaming giants. Pictured: Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in The Crown, season five
Pictured: Prince William and Prince Harry with Prince Charles at Westminster Abbey for the funeral of Diana in 1997
Her glamorous hideout is a mansion where she lives with her daughter, Frances, whose paternity is known only to Diana.
While the Princess once struggled with eating disorders, her daughter is in the grip of drug and alcohol addiction and refuses her mother’s orders to go to rehab, causing blazing rows.
By comparison, her sons are dutiful princes. In this fictional ‘what if’, Harry doesn’t meet Meghan but the suitability of his alternative bride is no less scrutinised. Nor is William’s ‘nice wife’ Kate Middleton.
Camilla Parker Bowles, who Diana said was the third person in her marriage to Charles, remains, – but Mr Gunner leaves us guessing as to whether she’s Queen.
The series has the working title Phoenix and cast auditions – including the prestigious role of Diana – are taking place along with meetings with streaming giants.
It is a show that will divide opinion – particularly as William and Harry resented the characterisation of their mother in The Crown.
But given that the architects of this series include two trusted confidants of Diana, her portrayal is bound to be more favourable.
Mr Jephson is an executive producer for the drama, which begins filming before Christmas.
Diana had asked Mr Gunner to devise a marquee fundraiser for the National Aids Trust, of which she was a patron
Preserving Diana’s legacy is another driving factor. Like Mr Jephson, Mr Gunner wants younger generations, born after she died, to be captivated by her personality and charity work
‘This project promises to interpret Diana’s legacy for a new generation,’ he says. ‘It will also captivate every one of us who treasures the memory of this fascinating historical figure.’
Mr Gunner adds: ‘Nobody has tried to put Diana back into their lives, which is exactly what we’re looking to do with this project.
‘Yes, it’s a fantasy but it will be based on everything we knew about her when she was alive.’
Diana had asked him to devise a marquee fundraiser for the National Aids Trust, of which she was a patron. Televised worldwide, their ‘Concert of Hope’ featuring George Michael, KD Lang and Mick Hucknall, with David Bowie as host, was so successful she asked Mr Gunner to stage further concerts and he became a regular at Kensington Palace.
‘I was privileged to be able to understand what made her tick and to hear her opinions on all sorts of issues – from what she thought about the Royal family to how she viewed her relationship with Dodi,’ Mr Gunner says.
‘I wanted to find a way of sharing things I’ve kept to myself for so long. For example, her relationship with Charles and Harry and William in the series won’t be what many people might expect.
‘In fact, Diana might be different from how people might imagine. She was always full of surprises.’
Preserving Diana’s legacy is another driving factor. Like Mr Jephson, Mr Gunner wants younger generations, born after she died, to be captivated by her personality and charity work. He is aware some may find the project offensive and a means for him to cash in on her memory.
Pictured: Diana with her sons, Prince William (left) and Prince Harry, at the VE Day commemorations in London in May 1995
He doesn’t see it like that.
‘Fundamentally, I miss her and I suspect a great many other people do as well,’ Mr Gunner explains.
‘I want to try to put Diana back in our lives because the world seemed a much better place when she was in it.
‘She left behind a huge gap that’s never been filled. I’m not looking to offend anyone. I’m trying to help us remember the Diana we all adored. What’s wrong with that?’
Mr Jephson, who served in the Royal Navy for ten years before joining the Royal Household – becoming Diana’s most trusted aide – gives Phoenix a cherished commodity: authenticity.
‘It helps enormously to have my friend Patrick on board,’ says Mr Gunner. ‘He was extremely close to Diana and brings credibility.’
The series will be co-written by John J McLaughlin, who worked on Bafta award-winning film Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman.
The Diana character is unlikely to be played by a high-profile actress. Mr Gunner says ‘Diana is the star’ and wants to avoid a big name actress taking centre stage.
Netflix had the same approach in The Crown, hiring lesser-known Emma Corrin and latterly Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki to portray Diana.
‘It’s important whoever plays Diana loves her as much as so many did worldwide,’ adds Mr Gunner. ‘She must do her justice.’
