The study of Philosophy is an important part of Diana’s life, which shines through all her novels: The Choice, her first, The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose, her second, and A Man of Understanding, her third, which was the Runner-Up in the People’s Book Prize 2023, Fiction Category. Diana has a strong background in the subject, having gained two degrees in Philosophy from University College, London, receiving a First for her postgraduate thesis on Kant and Hume, and three Scholarships.
Just after Diana left University, her father died. As an only child of parents who were both only children, his death was a tragic loss to Diana and her mother and left a huge void in their small family. The experience has influenced Diana’s writing, but not in a depressing, sombre way, as that would not do justice to the witty, positive man her father, a clergyman, had been.
That same year, she gained a place at the College of Law in London and converted to Law, receiving a Commendation. She then spent two years in the City at a top ten Commercial Law Firm. There she met her husband, who is a Commercial Property and Planning lawyer. She qualified as a solicitor in 1997. However, she didn’t find the work as stimulating as she had hoped, so she transferred to the Bar and practised as a barrister, having been called to the Bar (the Inner Temple) in 1997. She enjoyed her life as a barrister, finding it a more natural partnership with her philosophical training.
Yet she still sought something more – a way of expressing herself and her intellect creatively. So she decided to devote herself full-time to writing, a career which had appealed to her from being a child, although she never imagined back then that her words would be translated into several languages, read, quoted and enjoyed throughout the world, nor that people of all ages would be influenced and encouraged by them.
Prior to going to University, having left school with an impressive number of O and A levels, she was a successful Fashion Model, represented by one of London’s leading model agencies. She was photographed for many high-fashion magazines (Vogue, Brides, Cosmopolitan etc), working with top photographers including David Bailey, Bardo Fabiani and Bill Ling (see a selection of photographs below), and appearing in fashion shows for designers such as Calvin Klein and Roland Klein. It gave her the opportunity to travel to many parts of the world on photographic assignments and for fashion shows, and to use her languages (she speaks French, German and Spanish).
Diana has written poetry ever since her schooldays, when her first poems were published in the school magazine. She weaves her poetry into her novels in a way that has proved very popular with readers. If you would like to read more about Diana’s poetry in her novel writing, please go to News and Events.
Photography - Rocco
Photography - Rod Delroy
Photography - Bardo Fabiani
Photography - Bill Ling
Hover over images to see photography credits.