The Diary of Sarah Forbes Bonetta: A Novel

A powerful retelling of the extraordinary life of orphaned African
princess, Sarah Forbes Bonetta.

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“[Victoria Princewill's] real skill, in this
highly engaging book, is to create a convincing Victorian heroine
to whose emotional highs and lows any modern reader will relate.
” - The Daily Telegraph
Shortlisted for the Historical Association's Young Quills
Award 2024





A powerful retelling of the extraordinary life of orphaned
African princess, Sarah Forbes Bonetta.

"You are not an aristocrat. An aristocrat is born
to a noble family. You were born into royalty. You are a princess."



Set in 1860, this is the story of Sarah Forbes
Bonetta, the intelligent, multilingual Yoruba princess
from West Africa who became the protégé of
the British Queen Victoria.


On the evening of her seventeenth birthday, she is told that her
old name, her real name is Aina. Oma'ba Aina
from the fallen Oyo Empire.


Equipped with this knowledge, Sarah attempts to navigate life
as a foster daughter, a protégé and a young black girl
in Victorian England. But can one really feel like royalty when
the freedom of autonomy is something so far out of reach for a
person of her gender and race?


Victoria Princewill reimagines Sarah's life in England,
telling the story of a girl living between two cultures, trying
to create, and assert, her own identity.





The first of two titles from Victoria that will focus on real
Black women born into royalty

A very exciting new voice in YA fiction

Victoria aims to to shed light on women's stories that have been
forgotten by history

From the author of In the Palace of the Flowers.