Seven Dials signs memoir from Princess Diana's bodyguard Sansum

Seven Dials has scooped the "explosive" memoir from Lee Sansum, the bodyguard who protected Hollywood royalty and Princess Diana, to be written with Howard Linskey. 

Anna Valentine, executive publisher, acquired world rights from Philip Patterson of Marjacq Scripts. The memoir will be published in hardback, audio and e-book on 14th April 2022. 

Sansum is an ex-member of the Royal Military Police, martial arts champion and expert in close protection. He was part of Mohamed and Dodi al-Fayed's protection team and also had to protect Princess Diana. He formed a close bond with Diana and the young princes, particularly Harry, and it was only by a stroke of luck that he was not in the car the night Diana died, the publisher said. 

In The Bodyguard, he will recount his career from working with stars such as Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Pele and Sylvester Stallone, to joining the Army and going undercover with the military police in Northern Ireland and braving the dangerous world of private security, operating in the world's hotspots, such as Libya, and the breakaway state of Somaliland.

Sansum said: "This book pulls together all the important aspects of my life and offers fresh insight on that tragic night in Paris. I could not think of a better team to help me bring this together. Orion’s reputation as reigning Publisher of the Year speaks for itself and it is an honour to be working with both them, Marjacq Scripts and the brilliantly talented Howard Linskey. I can’t wait to share my story with the world."

Valentine commented: "To guard the most famous woman in the world, you have to be the best. Lee’s incredible story is not only a fitting tribute to one of the outstanding figures of our age, but a unique insight into how an elite close protection bodyguard really operates, letting us into the secrets of his trade that no one outside of it ever gets to hear. I’m thrilled to be welcoming Lee and Howard to the Seven Dials list."