The Guardian is running an abridged version of a review by Sarah Bradford of Tina Brown’s Diana Chronicles, a piece that was originally written for The Spectator but rejected for unspecified reasons.

Bradford wrote her own book Diana, so her criticism of Brown’s book might be seen as too biased. But certainly her charges that the writing is schlocky seem to be supported by quotes such as this one, describing Diana the last time Brown saw her: “The gently flushed skin of her face wasn’t just peachy; it was softer than a child’s velveteen rabbit.”

The books’ sins run from distastefulness to sentimental drivel, Bradford writes:

I find [Brown’s] comment that Charles would have welcomed back a crippled Diana utterly grisly. “For the Prince there could have been something redeeming in having his ex-wife return to him in a condition of dependence.” And Brown sums up the failure of the French doctors to save Diana with a true sob-sister line: “This time Diana’s broken heart would never mend …”

The review also seems to contain a rather thinly veiled accusation of plagarism:

All the old stories are repeated. Some of them are eerily reminiscent of stories in my Diana book. The story of the Queen’s private secretary informing Her Majesty that Prince Charles was sleeping with Camilla is the same one as in both my book on the Queen and my book on Diana, which I based on my interview with the courtier in question.

Let’s hope the young princes have better luck remembering their mother and inspiring some goodwill at the rock concert they are staging on her birthday this weekend in London.