Diana: Her New Life [Illustrated] [Mass Market Paperback]

Andrew Morton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

The publication in 1992 of Andrew Morton's number-one national bestseller, Diana: Her True Story, shook the British royal family to its very foundations. The book's many revelations - that Prince Charles had been having a long-term affair, that the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales had been a sham, that the Princess had been suffering from an eating disorder and had made several halfhearted suicide attempts - were initially greeted with disbelief. But as time passed, it became clear that the book was, as its title claimed, Diana's true story, especially when the couple announced their separation in December 1992. When Prince Charles eventually admitted his adultery on television, he put the final seal of confirmation on Andrew Morton's claims. Diana's friends were hopeful that the separation from Charles, which ended years of a torturous existence, would bring Diana the freedom to find happiness in a new role. But has she? With her marriage in limbo and her children only occasionally by her side, Diana's position in the royal family is one of increasing isolation. Diana: Her New Life chronicles the secret battles that have raged behind closed doors, and Diana's constant frustration as she endeavors to break free from the restrictions of her semi-detached royal life. Again with unprecedented access to some of Diana's closest friends and advisers, Andrew Morton is able to strip away the royal propaganda and reveal how Diana, who became a princess before she had reached maturity, is at last learning to become a woman in her own right rather than a puppet of the palace. Andrew Morton exposes the infighting and intrigue behind this most sensational royal crisis, as well as Diana'sprivate thoughts on her retirement from public life, remarriage, the men in her life, and the grooming of Prince William for his future role. Illustrated with 32 pages of remarkable color photographs, Diana: Her New Life is a revealing, explosive look at the struggle of one of t

Editorial Reviews

Review

Paul Levy The Wall Street Journal MR. MORTON STRONGLY INSINUATES THAT HE HAD THE PRINCESS'S HELP...[he is] an ideal mouthpiece for the Friends of Diana, who have openly blabbed to Mr. Morton, a brilliant ploy that allows the princess herself to deny any involvement. -- Review

About the Author

Andrew Morton, described by the Sunday Times of London as "the leading royal writer," has earned a reputation as one of the best-informed authorities on the royal family. His many books include Inside Buckingham Palace, Diana's Diary, and Theirs is the Kingdom. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671533983
• ISBN-13: 978-0671533984
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,720,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Given Events since 1994, Sadly Prescient, November 26, 2008

By 

Graceann Macleod "Books Fuel My Life" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diana; Her New Life (Hardcover)

Though Diana: Her New Life is clearly written from within Diana's camp (and, I suspect, with her cooperation), there are some clues to the difficulties of being close to this enigmatic icon. Her staff knew that it was going to be a rough day if there was anything negative about her in the press, or if she was expected to deal with the Royal Family. It was a delicate dance staying on top of who was "in" and who was "out" of her inner circle. It is an understatement to say that the book is on her side; her affairs with James Hewitt and Oliver Hoare are referred to as "friendships," whereas Charles and Camilla were accurately described as lovers.

I would prefer to read something more objective and even-handed regarding this fascinating woman, but this was an interesting look at what was going on in her life in the years between her separation and 1995.

The book is so sad in retrospect. Diana expressed a desire to live in Paris, because the photographers were slightly more respectful there. At one point in the book, her dealings with the media were described by the phrase "if you live by the press, you'll die by the press." This was written before her Panorama interview and before the finalization of the divorce, and at the time of the publication of Her New Life, Diana was finding her role in a semi-Royal world, without the protection of the Royal security services and the publicity machine of the Palace. She was naive, immature, mercurial and for all that, immensely popular with the public and thus a huge thorn in the side of the Old Guard.

Diana wanted to make a difference, and was starting to do so. Though she had aligned herself with the Red Cross, she hadn't yet found her niche in public service, and of course we now know that she wouldn't have the chance to solidify her usefulness.

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book,it made you feel asif you were there., December 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Diana: Her New Life (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book, I felt as if I was there writing the book as it happened,rather than reading the book years after it happened.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Palace Intrigue is Alive & Well in This Century, September 27, 1998

By 

Gloria E. Salavarria ([e-mail]) (Middlebury, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diana: Her New Life (Hardcover)

Without question, this is a book sympathetic to Diana's side, and justifiably so. The grey-suited eunuchs of Buckingham Palace have never done the monarchy a favor by meddling in the marriages of the royal family. Morton tells the tale of Diana, her remarkable courage and resourcefulness, and her feelings of alienation, in the face of a smear campaign that would have shriveled us lesser mortals. Diana is a flawed, but nevertheless feeling, human being who did not deserve the ill treatment she received at the hands of her prince and his minions. This is an interesting book to read in light of what's happened since the book's publication in 1994. One can believe that Diana's death may not have been an accident.