Sport writer Mick McDonald writes about The Crown and Lady Di

We just wonder how differently the real Lady Di's life may have panned out if she'd taken a different path in her younger days. Instead of being sort-of-wooed by the prince and viewed as a potential brood mare by the Royal establishment, just imagine she'd instead jetted off to the colonies with her Sloan Ranger friends for some R and R.

For the sake of this silliness, consider she wandered into Taree's famed Foggs International Hotel sometime in the early 1980s. This would have been entirely plausible, for Foggs was the go-to spot for all types of up-market overseas tourists back in those days, perhaps lured by the prospect of viewing the Winter Olympics (a tale for another time).

Anyway, just say Lady Di entered the old saloon bar, ordered a schooner of new, clasped eyes on, and was immediately smitten by, a young member of the local Fourth Estate who reported on sport for a living and oft-frequented the establishment.

Indeed, so attracted was she that she scuppered plans to proceed to the Gold Coast, instead staying in Taree, possibly getting a start as bar attendant at the aforementioned-but-now-sadly-closed Foggs.

Her life would certainly have been much simpler and free of hounding paparazzi, although to be honest, some of the Manning River Times photographers we've worked with over the years have been annoying.

We can assure the ghastly Camilla Parker-Whatshername wouldn't have been a factor in her life or marriage.

True, she wouldn't have been a worldly social scene A-lister. However, we would have ensured she had a start at the Group Three league presentation night and the chairman's luncheon on Taree Cup day.

Life would still have thrown up its share of hurdles. "I'm not driving you to the pub,'' we can hear her say to her betrothed (or at least the lass who played her in The Crown say).

"It's 9.30 in the morning. And it's Tuesday, go to work.''

But that would be nothing compared to the troubles she encountered with the Royal family. In Taree her in-laws would have welcomed her into the family and her mum-in-law would have cooked copiously for her - so no chance of an eating disorder.

(On the downside, Meghan Markle wouldn't be a daughter-in-law.)

But there's a fair chance she'd still be around, for there would be no hope that she would have been in a car recklessly careering into a Paris tunnel in 1997.

As such, the world wouldn't have been forced to suffer the lamentable 'Goodbye England's Rose'.

Wonder how she would have handled living in Struggle Street and not Kensington Palace? Guess we'll never know.