James Herbert

The Strange death of horror writer James Herbert

James Herbert: My new thriller about Princess Diana's secret son ONLY James Herbert would dare to write a novel that queasily imagines Princess Diana and her secret son as well as Lord Lucan, Colonel Gaddafi and Robert Maxwell living together in a Scottish castle. But Herbert – one of Britain’s bestselling authors for 41 years – doesn’t care. He thrives on controversy and he loves to shock. By ADAM LEE POTTER Wed, Sep 5, 2012 “That’s why I became a novelist in the first place,” he says. “I can’t bear to work by committee. As a writer I can say whatever I want. All my stories begin with the premise ‘what if?’ I get to play God.”

His latest novel entitled Ash will not please the Royal Family but to be fair he did warn them. “Prince Charles gave me an OBE a couple of years ago. I was firmly told beforehand to call him Your Royal Highness to start with then Sir. But that went straight out the window. I only call head waiters Sir. So finally it’s my turn. He asks me, ‘Are you working on anything at the moment?’ I told him, ‘I am and you’re in it, Charles.’ He went bright red, then chalky white. I was dismissed.”............