Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words


Andrew Morton - 2004
    "Startlingly candid".--People. Includes never-before-seen photographs.

Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life


Sally Bedell Smith - 2017
     Sally Bedell Smith returns once again to the British royal family to give us a new look at Prince Charles, the oldest heir to the throne in more than three hundred years. This vivid, eye-opening biography--the product of four years of research and hundreds of interviews with palace officials, former girlfriends, spiritual gurus, and more, some speaking on the record for the first time--is the first authoritative treatment of Charles's life that sheds light on the death of Diana, his marriage to Camilla, and his preparations to take the throne one day. Prince Charles brings to life the real man, with all of his ambitions, insecurities, and convictions. It begins with his lonely childhood, in which he struggled to live up to his father's expectations and sought companionship from the Queen Mother and his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten. It follows him through difficult years at school, his early love affairs, his intellectual quests, his entrepreneurial pursuits, and his intense search for spiritual meaning. It tells of the tragedy of his marriage to Diana; his eventual reunion with his true love, Camilla; and his relationships with William, Kate, Harry, and his grandchildren. Ranging from his glamorous palaces to his country homes, from his globe-trotting travels to his local initiatives, Smith shows how Prince Charles possesses a fiercely independent spirit and yet has spent more than six decades waiting for his destined role, living a life dictated by protocols he often struggles to obey. With keen insight and the discovery of unexpected new details, Smith lays bare the contradictions of a man who is more complicated, tragic, and compelling than we knew, until now.

The Diana Chronicles


Tina Brown - 2007
    Was she “the people’s princess,” who electrified the world with her beauty and humanitarian missions? Or was she a manipulative, media-savvy neurotic who nearly brought down the monarchy? Only Tina Brown, former editor-in-chief of Tatler, England’s glossiest gossip magazine; Vanity Fair; and The New Yorker could possibly give us the truth. Updated with a new foreword.

Kate: The Future Queen


Katie Nicholl - 2013
    Since becoming Duchess Catherine of Cambridge in 2011, Middleton has captivated royals fans around the world and now, Nicholl delivers the story of her early life, first romances, and love with Prince William. Nicholl will reveal new details on Middleton's initiation into royal life and, of course, her first pregnancy.

A Royal Duty


Paul Burrell - 2000
    And while it may have been fate that brought them together, they shared a strong bond that endured to the end of her life. Burrell became Diana's confidant and his unique perspective casts new light on the Princess of Wales and the events that would shape her life and the lives of those around her. At the time of her death there was much speculation about Diana's future plans including her thoughts about remarrying and the possibility of relocating to America. Paul, who was one of the last people to speak with her, hopes to set the record straight for the Princess he so admired and cherished. Drawing on private conversations, personal recollections, diaries and letters, Paul has written an extraordinary account of a unique time in the history of the Royal Family.

The Queen & Di: The Untold Story


Ingrid Seward - 2000
    We discover a surprising portrait of the English monarch and the princess, contradicting what the press has previously reported: a fragile Diana battling an unfeeling mother-in-law. We learn that the Queen tried to welcome Diana into the royal family and that Di failed to grasp the hand of friendship. From the princess herself we hear details of what went on between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. And we glimpse much more about the inner workings of the extended royal family. Entertaining and factual, The Queen & Di stands apart and above the countless, often inaccurate, accounts published to date about Diana. Ingrid Seward reveals for the first time the true relationship between two important women of the 20th century.

Diana: A Tribute to the People's Princess


Peter Donnelly - 1997
    Yet the reality was very different, for Diana's childhood was an unhappy one. And when, like a fairy tale, she was transformed (in her own words) from 'a nobody' to become one of the most public figures in the land, before long appearances again proved to be deceptive: her marriage to the Prince of Wales was to end in recrimination and unhappiness.Yet Diana was to recover from adversity to capture the hearts of people all over the world. And that triumph owed nothing to wealth or power or title, and everything to qualities that lay within--qualities for which she was universally adored: an innate ability to understand, and empathise with, ordinary people, but especially with the sick, the rejected, the 'unloved'.With six chapters and over 215 colour and black-and-white photographs--many previously unpublished in book form--and with a lively text by leading author Peter Donnelly, this book tells the remarkable story of Diana's flowering into 'The People's Princess' and in doing so pays homage to that 'innate nobility' that we all came to love and respect.

The Queen Mother: The Official Biography


William Shawcross - 2009
    Now, William Shawcross—given unrestricted access to the Queen Mother’s personal papers, letters, and diaries—gives us a portrait of unprecedented vividness and detail. Here is the girl who helped convalescing soldiers during the First World War . . . the young Duchess of York helping her reluctant husband assume the throne when his brother abdicated . . . the Queen refusing to take refuge from the bombing of London, risking her own life to instill courage and hope in others who were living through the Blitz . . . the dowager Queen—the last Edwardian, the charming survivor of a long-lost era—representing her nation at home and abroad . . . the matriarch of the Royal Family and “the nation’s best-loved grandmother.”A revelatory royal biography that is, as well, a singular history of Britain in the twentieth century.

Diana: Portrait of a Princess


Jayne Fincher - 1998
    From her first exposure to the world as the fiancee of the future King of England to her death as perhaps the most revered figure of the century, she captured the imagination and the love of literally hundreds of millions of people. And, from her first portrait of Lady Diana Spencer in 1980 to her last shoot months before Diana's tragic death and finally to Diana's funeral, Jayne Fincher -- the only female royal photographer working with the explicit approval and full cooperation of Buckingham Palace -- was there. Granted unprecedented access to the Princess of Wales and the extended royal family for 18 years, Fincher amassed an enormous archive of more than 30,000 striking images of Diana.She captured on film Diana's transformation from a shy, awkward teenager to an elegant and sophisticated woman. Diana: Portrait of a Princess collects in one spectacular volume for the first time ever the best of these extraordinary photographs. Here are some of the most famous images of Diana ever published...and here also are hundreds of never-before-seen candids, outtakes, and portraits, the definitive photographic document of Diana's life -- as fiance, wife, and then ex-wife of the Prince of Wales; as mother to princes William and Harry; as philanthropist, as ambassador, as fashion muse. But more than a simple collection of images, Diana: Portrait of a Princess is a personal and deeply felt memoir with behind-the-scenes insight into the moods and complex personality of Diana. This narrative, a collaborative effort with royal writer Judy Wade, incorporates detailed impressions and experiences gathered in photographing the Princess. Featuring more than 500 pictures -- three-quarters of them never before seen -- and including dozens of revealing anecdotes, Diana: Portrait of a Princess is all exquisite tribute to a woman who carried the hearts of the world in the palm of her hand.

Ever After: Diana and the Life She Led


Anne Edwards - 1999
    When Diana married Prince Charles, she joined the equally troubled House of Windsor, and was caught up in a plot Shakespearean in its deception and eventual tragic ending. Anne Edwards paints a vivid portrait of a woman desperate in her marriage, fearful of her life, who became devious -- and often brilliant -- in the moves she played in a treacherous royal chess game.

The Diana I Knew: Loving Memories of the Friendship Between an American Mother and Her Son's Nanny Who Became the Princess of Wales


Mary Robertson - 1998
    Little did she know that this was the beginning of an extraordinary friendship that would last for seventeen years. In "The Diana I Knew," Mary portrays a gentle, unassuming teenager who blossomed into an assured, world-class beauty. She describes a private side to a woman few people knew intimately. This is an American woman's personal account of her unexpected and touching friendship with Diana. Mary's unique memories of this remarkable woman include Diana's nonchalant reaction to Mary's discovery of her nanny's aristocratic background and the day-to-day building of a trusting, affectionate relationship, which developed into a true friendship. As Diana's life dramatically changed when the royal courtship began, she turned to Mary for guidance. Even after the Robertsons returned to the United States just before the engagement, Diana wrote frequently, wishing to continue the friendship. From receiving the gilt-edged invitation to the Royal Wedding to being charmed by Prince Charles at the glamorous pre-nuptial ball at Buckingham Palace, Mary captures the magic of the wedding of the century. Despite the unimaginable demands of her life and the unraveling of the fairy tale, Diana made time to see Mary and her family. From the Robertsons' private meeting with the Prince and Princess in Washington to an intimate family luncheon at her home in Kensington Palace, Diana's generosity of spirit and appreciation of simpler times always shone through.

The Decline and Fall of the House of Windsor


Donald Spoto - 1995
    Reprint.

Diana: The Last Word


Simone Simmons - 2005
    She was not part of Diana's social circle; she was not a family friend. That woman was Simone Simmons, a healer, who devoted herself to the troubled Princess.Simone formed a unique bond with Diana. They met almost everyday and spent hours on the telephone. Diana opened her heart and mind to Simone, who always told the Princess the unvarnished truth. No subject was taboo, and the two women discussed everything and anything, sharing laughter and tears over cups of chamomile tea. Since Diana appreciated and trusted her friend's candor, Simone got to know the Princess in a way no one else has ever done. With Simone, Diana felt confident enough to express her true self.In 1997, Diana told her friend she wanted her to write a book which revealed the truth about her, to "tell it like it is." This is that book. It is truly the last word.With her extraordinary insight into Diana's life, Simone captures the soul of the Princess and creates an intimate and rich portrait of one of the great icons of the 20th Century. In these pages, Simone describes how it really was: who among the royals was good to Diana and who was hateful; her need to be in love and to have an affair; her only fling--with John F. Kennedy, Jr.--at the Carlisle hotel; her real relationship with Paul Burrell; why she inflicted self-harm; how she wanted to move to New York or Los Angeles; how Mother Teresa hurt her; why her relationship with Dodi never would have ended in marriage; and her enduring love for Prince Charles.Though Diana was extremely insecure, with Simone's help and work she became strong and learned that she could heal others around her. DIANA--THE LAST WORD is the fascinating story of how she reached that point. It finally settles the unanswered questions of Diana's life and addresses the many revelations that have materialized since her death.

The Little Princesses


Marion Crawford - 1950
    Their father was the Duke of York, the second son of King George V, and their Uncle David was the future King of England.We all know how the fairy tale ended: When King George died, “Uncle David” became King Edward VIII---who abdicated less than a year later to marry the scandalous Wallis Simpson. Suddenly the little princesses’ father was King. The family moved to Buckingham Palace, and ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth became the heir to the crown she would ultimately wear for over fifty years.The Little Princesses shows us how it all began. In the early thirties, the Duke and Duchess of York were looking for someone to educate their daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, then five- and two-years-old. They already had a nanny---a family retainer who had looked after their mother when she was a child---but it was time to add someone younger and livelier to the household.Enter Marion Crawford, a twenty-four-year-old from Scotland who was promptly dubbed “Crawfie” by the young Elizabeth and who would stay with the family for sixteen years. Beginning at the quiet family home in Piccadilly and ending with the birth of Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace in 1948, Crawfie tells how she brought the princesses up to be “Royal,” while attempting to show them a bit of the ordinary world of underground trains, Girl Guides, and swimming lessons.The Little Princesses was first published in 1950 to a furor we cannot imagine today. It has been called the original “nanny diaries” because it was the first account of life with the Royals ever published. Although hers was a touching account of the childhood of the Queen and Princess Margaret, Crawfie was demonized by the press. The Queen Mother, who had been a great friend and who had, Crawfie maintained, given her permission to write the account, never spoke to her again.Reading The Little Princesses now, with a poignant new introduction by BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, offers fascinating insights into the changing lives and times of Britains royal family.

Diana in Private: The Princess Nobody Knows


Lady Colin Campbell - 1992
    An inside look at Princess Diana provides a detailed account of her private life, from her birth, to her 1979 wedding to Prince Charles, to the problems that have troubled her marriage.