Diana: Her True Story - In Her Own Words

By Andrew Morton

One of the world's best-known biographers, Andrew Morton is a leading authority on modern celebrity, and one of the finest investigative writers of our age. His ground-breaking and controversial biography, Diana: Her True Story changed the public's perception of the British monarchy and became an instant bestseller. The original book was met with torrents of abuse from the British Establishment and the media. No one at that time would believe that in fact Diana had secretly collaborated with Andrew Morton in the writing of the book, until 1997 when its re-publication in the wake of her death showed beyond any doubt that she had in fact done so. Working with Morton on the book, Diana exposed life inside the royal family and shook the Establishment to its foundations. Sadly, however, the new life Diana had hoped for was tragically cut short. Diana: Her True Story - In Her Own Words allowed her to give her own account of life as a royal. The Princess's memory lives on, as does the public and press interest in her. This world bestseller bears testimony to Diana's life, finally allowing her to have her say. It is the closest we will ever come to her autobiography.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael O'Mara
• Release date: May 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781843177159

Andrew Morton

Andrew Morton is one of the world’s best-known biographers and a leading authority on modern celebrity and royalty. His groundbreaking 1992 biography of Diana, Princess of Wales—written with her full, though then secret, cooperation—changed the way the world looked at the British royal family. Since then, he has gone on to write New York Times and Sunday Times (UK) bestsellers on Monica Lewinsky, Madonna, David and Victoria Beckham, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The winner of numerous awards, he divides his time between London and Los Angeles.

Reviews for Diana

[medwards429 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This review is about the original 1992 version published prior to Princess Diana’s separation from Charles (December 1992), the finalized divorce (August 1996), and her subsequent death (July 1997). This is how Diana Spencer went from being Lady Diana to Diana, Princess of Wales. Though commonly she was called "Princess Diana" following her marriage to the Prince of Wales, this was incorrect because she was not a princess in her own right.

Diana was a beloved figure by those who saw a plain and ordinary girl (Diana Spencer), despite having some nobility, become a fairy-tale princess – married to the heir to the crown, Prince Charles, on 7/29/1981. Everyone watched over the years as a shy, quiet girl blossomed into a beautiful woman – not only on the outside, but the inside as well. A beautiful woman who never hesitated to hug an AIDS patient; or walk through a minefield to raise awareness. A woman who gave the compassion and love to others she was long denied by those around her.

Deep inside the fairy-tale, Diana was fighting a struggle. A lonely childhood; a lonely and loveless marriage; and a chronic illness that was worsened by the stress, all of which was hidden from the media but in private it plagued the people’s princess. Cries for help went unanswered by those who either didn’t acknowledge what was going on or didn’t know how to help. Some, despite knowing what was going on, chose instead to blatantly ignore her plight.

If you read this when it was published (1992), you’d have no way of knowing what was yet to come some four (4) to five (5) years later. If you read it after July 1997, it is almost a foreboding tale of what was about to happen.

Early on, Diana always had a feeling she’d never become Queen, despite being married to second-in-pine Prince Charles of Wales. It was something she never saw herself doing – but it couldn’t be explained.

Without guidance or assistance, she was thrust into a role that garnered her much attention and admiration from the public, but not the desperately needed affection from those closest to her. Her parents divorce adversely affected her – especially after her father re-married. Diana didn’t get along with her step-mother for most of her life. It wasn’t until her father became Earl Spencer in 1975 that Diana even had a “courtesy title”.

While Diana had access to the best education and most all of her essential needs met, there were some things she didn’t have. What Diana wanted most (according to Morton) was the affection – cuddles, love, and acknowledgement of a job well done. She would find none of this in either her life before marriage or during it.

What you will find in this novel is brutal honesty. If you find a slant trending more to Diana’s side, remember that this is a book about her and her side of the not-so-wonderful fairy-tale. It tells of how her popularity soared, even past that of her husband’s – the future King of England, and how that impacted her marriage. It also documents how she raised Princes William and Harry based on her own experiences – how much more involved she was in the parenting than other monarchs.

This is a book about a woman who struggled between finding happiness and honoring her duty, but knew what she would be giving up if she left – not so much the titles and money, but rather her children. But, this book also gave her a voice to stand on her own as well.

This is not a book you want to purchase – it is more suited to borrow from a library for a weekend or vacation read.

I’m not saying that because of the subject, the writing or the author – but rather that it is such a sad tale of what was yet to come and what happened in the years since. It is a cruel reminder that the fairy -tale might not end the way it should – the “princess” doesn’t keep the prince or even keep herself. Sometimes the Princess fades away.

[digesha_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is probably the foremost and authoritative book on who the real and true Diana, Princess of Wales was. Just as Candle in the Wind is her song, this IS Diana's book.This is historically accurate biographical information told by the woman that was behind it from the beginning, Diana. This is a classic biography.