Princess in the Sunset by Antonia Palfrey

Galla Placidia

Title: Princess in the Sunset 

Author: Antonia Palfrey aka David Audley

Publisher: Not known

Source book: Soldier No More by Anthony Price

Captain David Roche of British Intelligence (but working at the same time for the KGB) has been detailed to discover how come Dr David Audley has suddenly been managed to make so much money from somewhere to restore his beautiful but dilapidated family house. R&D want Audley to work for them but could he already be working for a foreign government?

Unbeknownst to all his friends, David Audley has written a highly successful, rather trashy but historically accurate novel, under a nom de plume. He is, in fact, Antonia Palfrey, a reclusive author who wants to avoid publicity. Who knows how or why a particular book captures the public imagination or doesn’t? But Antonia Palfrey’s book has become wildly successful and the film rights have been sold.

The plot centres around Galla Placidia, (half sister to two Byzantine emperors, Arcadius and Honorius), who led a genuinely exciting but probably rather exhausting life in the fifth century. Born in Constantinople, she grew up in Milan and was in Rome when it was besieged by Alaric King of the Visigoths. Alaric captured Placidia but it was his successor Ataulf who married the daughter of Emperor Theodosius I in Narbonne.

Placidia’s son with Ataulf was born in Barcelona (she certainly got about), but died as a baby. Shortly after that Ataulf was murdered and Placidia was sent back to her brother Honorius who forced her to marry Constantius III. They had at least two children including the future Emperor Valentinian III. And if you really want to know more please check a proper history book or Wikipedia. But if you are interested, her Mausoleum in Ravenna is a fabulous building; definitely worth a visit. My mother bought a postcard of the beautiful mosaic ceiling (see below) when we visited in 1966. She always used it as a bookmark and I still have it.

Just how much of Galla Placidia’s incident packed life was crammed into Princess in the Sunset I don’t think we ever learn. However, reviewers commented favourably on the gruesome aftermath of battle scenes. If a list of characters was included you can see how it might have been a success: I think you’d need one.

Princess in the Sunset pops up in Sion Crossing, also by Anthony Price, cunningly disguised in a list of genuine historical novels such as Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor, The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault and of course Gone With the Wind. Well, you know, some historical novels are full of accurate detail and should not be beneath your dignity. Princess... is mentioned by Paul Mitchell (see Watch by the Liffey) who obviously has no idea it was written by his boss. Howard Morris of the CIA obviously doesn’t know either.

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia