Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words

I don’t read many biographies but this one really interested me. I was a teenager when most of this occurred so I have memories of when Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married. I remember there being some issues with their marriage and I specifically remember watching on tv the accident and how long it took them to get her out of the car. I chose not to believe that she was dead. There had to be hope but the reality was that she would’ve been taken much faster than she was. I didn’t know much about the monarchy. I didn’t know if she and prince Charles were in love or was the marriage arranged. I assumed arranged because the whole Camilla nugget. What a horrible horrible thing to do. Why marry someone when you are clearly in love with someone else!?!? Horrible. It made me incredibly sad to read what she felt in her heart about herself. I just wanted to grab her and hug her and become her confidant. She needed one. I would’ve loved to be that for her. I enjoyed this book very much. I wanted to know more about her and her work. Mission accomplished! It makes me proud that Princes Harry and William remember her and carry on her legacy. I’m also proud that the traits that she felt were so important were indeed passed on. She would be so incredibly proud of her boys. I can see her holding a grand baby up in the air with a huge smile on her face. You did good Princess. You did good. Warning... ugly tears will happen when reading this book. There were some really tough moments. But so so worth it.

This book is worth the read!

If any thinking person suffered the illusion that the British monarchy was anything other than a kind of cheap floor show at a gambling casino to sucker foreign tourists into supporting the island's Gross National Product (GNP), Andrew Morton dispels it in "Diana, Her True Story," based largely on the confessions of Lady Diana Spencer herself to the author. Morton makes clear that Diana indeed was part of one of the greatest love stories ever told. Unfortunately it was the love story between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, with Diana in a supporting role as an unintended voyeur. Morton also makes clear that the Prince's love for and relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles was constant, without interruption, and his courtship of Diana, their royal marriage, and the birth of their sons William and Harry, were merely sideshows for public consumption, while in his real life he snuck out to see Camilla, hunted, played polo, and went on about his royal rounds. The book's only weakness, in my judgment, is its slim size. I was taken aback to find it merely 160 pages, astonishingly slender, for such an interesting subject. And nearly 30 of those pages is occupied by photographs of Diana. Yet the photographs, many taken by Diana and her friends, turns out to be the truest picture of the late Princess, as it shows her in friendly and intimate moments and not posing at royal occasions. This is, of course, Diana's side of the story, but Morton makes a compelling case that Charles was a mean cad who ridiculed Diana at every turn, had no patience for the pains of her bulimia, although he did send her to an army of psychiatrists after she attempted suicide at least five times, constantly criticized what clothes she wore, and consistently admonished whatever she said in public. Like most people who eventually succeed at speaking and appearing in public, Diana was in truth very shy. Yet when she mastered the art, the diminutive Prince Charles, who stands around 5 feet four, was jealous that his much taller Princess, who stood more than 5 feet ten, became far more popular. Indeed, left alone essentially without a husband, Diana turned to her public. Diana, Morton vividly illustrates, was loved by the public because she truly loved people. Long before she was dragged out of obscurity to serve as the birther of a royal heir, she had dropped out of high school to take care of children, had a particular affinity with the sick which would reach its crescendo of public attention with dying AIDS patients and victims of land mine accidents. Because of her genuine kindness and affinity for public duty, Princess Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales to her death after her divorce from Charles, emerges from these pages as a kind of champion of the egalitarian Britain of the Greatest Generation, and a contrast to the greedy English speaking world policies launched by Margaret Thatcher, which slashed the safety net for most working people, while it increased the billion dollar holdings of the wealthy, such as the royal family. It led to the greatest concentration of income at the top in modern history, and the after effects still paralyze the international banking system and the retirement security of the English, Americans, Australians, and to a lesser extent, the Canadians. But what the heck. Princess Diana is dead and Prince Charles still hunts and plays polo. [Hansen Alexander is author of "The Death of Chauvinism," a comic novel, and "An Introduction to the Laws of the United States in the 21rst Century," an Amazon, e-book exclusive.]

I started reading this about two weeks before the Queen passed away, and had finished all of the additional material in her own words and started the book portion. The introduction is also updated. I can only say that it is heartbreaking in many ways because Diana was nothing more than pawn in the game of royalty - marry to produce an heir. Charles was calculating and cold. Camilla had no qualms about continuing her relationship with Charles while she was married, before he married Diana, and while they were both married. Diana knew all along and frankly there were two in the relationship - Charles & Camilla, while poor Diana stood at the sidelines being used, verbally abused, belittled, and forgotten by the royal family. It's no wonder she had emotional issues that carried over into physical issues. Her childhood, as well, was poor, filled with abandonment and lack of love. Thankfully, she recovered, grew, and moved on, able to keep her title as the Princess of Wales and the People's Princess. I'm astonished frankly. Now that Charles is on the throne, I can't help looking at him differently after reading this book. I'm sure after 25 years since her death, 17 years of his marriage to Camilla, they have moved on and hopefully faced their own regrets, actions, and are worthy of the positions they both now hold. The book is a must-read for those who want to know Diana on a more personal level. She was so young, naive, and vulnerable at the beginning. If they hadn't put her face on the tea towels, like she said, before the wedding, perhaps she could have found the strength not to walk to the altar. But then we wouldn't have William or Harry or their descendants either.

Absolutely love this book, It is such a good read, Highly recommended.

Livro apaixonante de uma pessoa que mesmo estando no mais alto nível, tinha a simplicidade de uma pessoa comum, com suas qualidade e defeitos ela se mostrou tão humana como qualquer um demais, sem aquele perfil da alta corte de frieza e padrões estereotipado. Diana foi perfeita, um ensinamento pro mundo!

It's a good book .l

Fast delivery and a book worth reading.

The book shows the inner turmoil and struggles of the princess. Heart well up quite a number of times reading about her ordeal, how she was treated in the royal family and what she endured on her and own and finally when she was beginning to find some consistent happiness it was time for her to go. Her kindness and compassion is overwhelming the qualities she instilled in her children is exemplary. Loved reading and knowing her. Such a great and beautiful soul.