The Day Diana Died [Hardcover]

Christopher Andersen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 1998

On August 31, a year will have passed since the death of Diana, the twentieth century's ultimate fairy-tale princess. (But the world has yet to fully recover from the shock of her tragic, senseless death at the age of thirty-six.) To millions around the globe, the Princess of Wales's image glows with a very special grace -- and there remains an undeniable fascination with the final hours before that brilliant flame was extinguished forever.

Illustrated with more than fifty photographs and packed with startling new details that are sure to make international headlines, this compelling, fast-paced narrative traces the twenty-four hours that climaxed in the scream of twisted metal in a Paris tunnel -- and ended in tearful vigils around the world. In the manner of Jim Bishop's bestseller The Day Kennedy Was Shot, The Day Diana Died traces in riveting detail the movements, activities, and emotions of everyone involved in the tragedy that unfolded on that fatal day -- from Diana and her companion, Dodi Al-Fayed, to her sons, William and Harry, to Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth, and the rest of the Royals, along with scores of other players in the drama, great and small.

In Christopher Andersen's experienced hands, secrets are revealed and amazing facts uncovered as Princess Diana's last day on earth is relived minute by astonishing minute. As it hurtles toward an inevitable climax, The Day Diana Died comes alive with the spirit of one of the most vibrant, complex, captivating women of our time -- and with the sad realization that with every page time is running out....

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A year after Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997, shocking revelations about her passing have surfaced via eyewitness testimony. From the nurse who covered her naked, lifeless body and who answered the queen's immediate query of "where are the jewels?" to the off-duty paramedic who held Diana's head in his hands, The Day Diana Died leaves no sacred rock unturned. What was the expression on Prince Charles's face when he saw Diana's mutilated body? How did Prince William and Harry react when they first heard the devastating news? Was there cocaine in the Mercedes? Inquiring minds want to know, and Christopher Andersen serves up a hefty portion of hearsay for those with an insatiable Diana appetite. Not meant for individuals with delicate sensibilities, this collage of reliable, low-profile sources covers everything from the measurements of Diana and Dodi's wounds to Camilla Parker-Bowles's two cents on her rival's death. In other words, if People magazine were to offer a class about the late princess, The Day Diana Died would be required reading. --Rebekah Warren

From Library Journal

From a former senior editor at People with books on Jackie and Madonna.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (August 12, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688160824
• ISBN-13: 978-0688160821
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #830,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Royalty > Princess Diana

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting account of Dianas death & the worlds reaction., November 12, 2001

By 

Maureen Ogorman "leneker" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Day Diana Died (Mass Market Paperback)

Given the lurid tabloid journalism, to which Diana was subjected during her lifetime, this account is a well-written and interesting overview of her life and her tragic death.

Despite the title the book covers much more than just the day of her death. It gives an overview of her whirlwind romance with Dodi as well as the stormy relationship that she had with the rest of her royal ex-relatives. If this is the first Diana book that you read there is more than enough background material here to make sure that you do not feel left out. Even if you are a royal-phile with a stack of books on the trials and tribulations of the Windsor family, there is plenty here to keep you avidly turning the pages.

In addition to Diana's fateful last day there is extensive coverage of the immediate aftermath of the accident and the extensive, if ineffectual, care that she was given at the seen. The standard care given in car crashes on Paris soil might be viewed as a scandal in itself.

Christopher Anderson is able to present to us the reaction of the Royal family ensconced in Scotland at the time, the reaction of her ex-husband and of the Queen. Her Majesty retreated into duty and protocol trying even to prevent her son from making the journey to retrieve Diana's body. The Wales' sons were kept out of the limelight and did not learn for some time about the enormous outpouring of grief surrounding the accident.

This was an event that evoked the sympathy of the world. In light of the events of 9/11/2001 it might now seem foolish that we could ever expend so much grief on one person. But I think that this book helps to show how in life and in death Diana was the lens through which so much emotion the world over was brought into focus.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing account, October 14, 2002

By 

D. Movahedpour "doeadear" (CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Day Diana Died (Mass Market Paperback)

I found this book to be incredibly informative and a fascinating read, which I read almost in one sitting. Instead of the usual tawdry gossip of most Diana biographies, it describes exactly, and in fascinating detail, about the events that led up to her death, the day she died, and the ensuing mourning that followed. We are made privy to details we never knew, and they are very essential details, in my opinion.

To me, the most interesting and ironic part of this entire tragedy is that Diana lay in the hospital in Paris, dead, with nothing to wear. Prince Charles and Diana's two sisters were on their way from London, and the world's most famous and well-dressed woman literally had nothing to wear. The clothes she had been wearing when she died had been torn from her body by doctors who were attempting to revive her. Her luggage had been whisked back to London by a paranoid Mohammad Feyed. And, here was the world's most glamourous woman, at death, being forced to wear a dress donated by the wife of the English Ambassador to France. This irony is just one of many sad ironies and twists of fate in this account.

We learn of the behind-the-scenes machinations leading up to Diana's funeral, the conflict between Prince Charles and his mother, the Queen, and how Diana's boys reacted. Prince Charles is definitely painted in a much brighter light than ever before. I was absolutely fascinated by this book, and I think it is well worth reading.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great chronological study of the death of Princess Diana., August 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Day Diana Died (Hardcover)

I have found it very hard to put this book down! Christopher Anderson has written a wonderful book looking at the months leading up to death of the Princess of Wales. His book is populated with quotes and insights from those closest to the Princess and gives a good, in depth, look at the romance between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayad. Of particular interest is the reaction of Princess Diana's former husband, Prince Charles, upon learning of the Princess' death. Also, the reaction of Queen Elizabeth, who is more concerned with the royal jewels than with the death of her grandsons' mother!! A MUST READ if you have followed the Princess of Wales and have questions surrounding her death.