The fax machine at the Press Association news service in London sparked into life at 10.20 a.m. and the distinctive headed notepaper of the office of Diana, Princess of Wales, slowly revealed itself. One page followed, containing a seven-line statement.

"In light of the reports in this morning's papers, Diana, Princess of Wales, wishes to make it clear that she did not give any exclusive interviews to reporters yesterday," it said. "Her purpose in talking to some journalists was merely to inquire how long they intended to remain in the South of France as the oppressive media presence was causing great distress to all the children. There was no discussion of the possibility of any statement being issued in the future."

As contradictions go, this was a whopper. Anyone who was not in the stultifying heat of St Tropez bay could be forgiven for thinking that she had wandered out of her holiday residence, had a chat with waiting journalists for a few minutes, asked them to go away, turned on her heel and left.

There was no mention of the leopard-skin-patterned swimsuit. Or the motorboat that had sped out to journalists sitting on a launch in the middle of the bay. Or the 10-minute conversation when Diana had spoken of a "big surprise" which was to come from her office in the next two weeks. No, the statement said that she had been there "merely to inquire". So our eyes must be deceiving us.

Madness? Of course not. Manipulation? Possibly, although that suggests there are some unwilling partners in this affair. In the end it is a game, a battle for attention with the appearance of distress. It is a game Diana plays very well.

The princess says she wanted a private holiday away from prying eyes. So she chooses to travel to the south of France in the middle of the holiday season. She does not want attention drawn to where she is going. So she agrees to be the guest of Mohamed Al Fayed, the Harrods owner, controversial businessman and recently connected to the downfall of Neil Hamilton and Jonathan Aitken.

No photographs, please. So she is seen frolicking on the quayside at St Tropez marina. No, seriously, no pictures, please. So she sits on top of the villa roof in the same leopardskin pattern swimsuit with a mobile telephone in her hand. For 10 minutes.

Then came the clincher, the obvious ploy to put Diana back in the very centre of the media spotlight. With her minder and the boat driver the princess headed for the Fancy, a smart, but not too smart, launch in the middle of the bay.

Not just any old boat, full of tourists or fishermen. No, it was wobbling under the weight of the collected tabloid journalists from the Mirror, the Sun and the Daily Mail.

And so Diana made sure it did. Clinging to the side of the Fancy as it bobbed up and down next to her motor launch, the princess had a conversation with the journalists. "You are going to get a big surprise," she said. "You'll see. You are going to get a big surprise with the next thing I do." Hold the front page.

"My boys are urging me continually to leave the country. They say it is the only way. Maybe that's what I should do. They want me to live abroad. "I sit in London all the time and I am abused and followed wherever I go. Now I am being forced to move from here. William is distressed. William gets really freaked out. I was hoping to keep this visit all covered up and quiet."

Ill-conceived would be putting it politely. Boredom is the journalists' greatest enemy. By Monday morning there was already discussion about how much further this tale could go, whatever swimsuit the princess was wearing and whoever she was the guest of. Now she had ensured that those prying lenses would be with her for the rest of the week.

There is an unwritten agreement among editors that there will be some respect for the private lives of the princess's two sons, William and Harry. Morgan says that Diana, although in a different league, could come to a similar agreement with the press. She would arrive on holiday, the press would be allowed a few pictures on the first day and then they would melt into the distance.

It has worked in the past for other members of the royal family, during skiing breaks in particular. Diana's recent holiday to Barbuda in the Caribbean received little coverage and the Prince of Wales's trip to Kenya was also left largely alone.

Then again, Prince Charles would not look too hot in a one piece swimsuit. But who will tell Diana to build a working relationship with the press that does not lead to such spectacular blow-ups? The list of former advisers who have quit her office is as long as a French lunch.

As with all royal intrigues, there is a subtext. Two people, one Diana's friend, the Duchess of York, and one Diana's enemy, Camilla Parker-Bowles, have been making some surprising appearances. No more toe-sucking or ducking in the back of cars for them, just the duchess romping along in the egg-and-spoon race at her daughter's school sports day; just Camilla with a soft focus shot released to coincide with her becoming patron of the National Osteoporosis Society.

Of course, Diana can play this game with her eyes shut - trips to New York, appearances with the English National Ballet. But somehow, she wants something more. If Camilla is going to be on the front pages of the the papers, rest assured that Diana will not be far behind. One shot even had Camilla in a bathing costume; floral, not leopard print.

And the big surprise? Two rumours are already gearing up to be the summer talk of royal observers. Could Diana leave the country? Being the most famous woman in the world has its advantages, and having lots of friends with lots of money is one of them.

In Washington there is Katherine Graham, the millionairess publisher of the Washington Post, with whom Diana stayed during her recent US visit. The princess is also close to Tina Brown, editor of the New Yorker, and it has been pointed out that Diana decided to sell her dresses in New York rather than London. But, with her claims that her sons are the most important thing to her, living thousands of miles away would not appear to be the best option. And when she came back, the lenses watching her every move would multiply.

If not the US, there is always Europe. Except that that is where the paparazzi Diana most complains of operate. She told the British journalists bobbing around in the middle of the crystal blue bay that at least she could communicate with them.

"I am talking to you because I can't talk to them," she said. "I don't speak their language." When she visited Rome last year, thousands thronged the streets to try to get a glimpse.

Few are convinced that the princess will withdraw. In 1993 she said she was doing just that, in a half-hearted kind of way. It is 1997 and she is still topping the news agenda.

Maybe the big surprise is an announcement that she would like a new privacy law to protect her. But again, this is difficult territory. After the Panorama interview Lord Wakeham, then the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, warned the princess that "privacy can be compromised if we voluntarily bring our private life into the public domain".

So now we watch and wait. Diana has upped her own stakes and then complained at the result. Look for the date when, or if, that "big surprise" comes.

If it is next weekend and Diana is once again on the front pages there will be one story that will suffer as a result. Camilla and the celebration of her 50th birthday.