Diana, Princess of Wales: How Sexual Politics Shook the Monarchy [Paperback]

Beatrix Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Diana Princess of Wales | Publication Date: January 1999

Beatrix Campbell argues that Diana was hounded by a press that regarded her as an easy target. Her exposure of the coldness of the royal family was part of her espousal of a number of radical causes that she supported during her latter years.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the time of her death in a fatal car crash in 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, was ushered into secular sainthood by millions of people who saw her as the victim not simply of an unfortunate accident but also of a cold and uncaring British royal family whose members demanded strict adherence to repressive traditions of public behavior and marriage. When Diana broke from these conventions during her life, she became a populist rebel and heroine. Looking at Diana's life through a feminist lens, Campbell, a British journalist and academic, has composed a political hagiography that elevates Diana to the position of feminist role model and martyr. Although she draws on familiar news accounts and popular biographies about Diana's life and relationships, Campbell's reinterpretation of the facts is refreshing and persuasive. Claiming that the "patriarchal foundations of the monarchy have lost their legitimacy," Campbell sees Diana as a modern, independent woman who did not stand a chance against an institution that valued her only for her virginity, ability to have children and presumed complacency. She contends that Diana's depressions, eating disorders and suicidal impulses were personal if self-destructive revolts against her stifling existence as a "royal," and that they occurred within a broader, historical framework of cultural misogyny. While Campbell recognizes that both women and men are hurt by this system, she does not stint on blunt criticism. For instance, she claims that Prince Charles "used his children as an alibi in the face of public criticism," and that Diana died "because a posse of men [the paparazzi] would not take no for an answer." While Campbell's tone is forthright, sarcastic and even overtly angry, her arguments are provocative.

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: Women's Press (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0704345854
• ISBN-13: 978-0704345850
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,779,953 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting reading, but perhaps a bit too male-bashing, December 28, 2002

By 

CapriSun "Reader, music" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Diana, Princess of Wales: How Sexual Politics Shook the Monarchy (Paperback)

I'm not quite sure why I decided to purchase this book; ...I thought this would provide a different look at an exhaustively covered subject.

First, I would not recommend this book to a "casual fan" of Diana. There is some deep reading here, it's not a book that can be skimmed and understood. You have to *read* it. ...

Ms. Campbell seems to pull much of her book from other sources, with extensive quoting being quite a bit of what you are reading. She then takes these quotes and excerpts and adds her interpretations and opinions. Sometimes these were spot on, other times I felt that she was stretching a bit to prove her point. I also feel that the title is somewhat misleading; the book wasn't entirely what I expected. The author's repetitive claims of Diana being "penetrated" by the media's cameras, the world's eyes get rather boring and made for some eye-rolling on my part. There is no doubt that the media were invasive to Diana, but I also believe she played them at times--it was a give and take. Maybe if I were a "feminist" I would be more inclined to agree with this observation.

There is some fascinating history in regards to past Princes of Wales, their behaviours and relationships, in particular that of George IV and Princess Caroline of Brunswick. Ms. Campbell points out amazing similarities between Caroline and Diana, and for that alone this book is worth delving into. Although I am reasonably well-versed in the recent past and current happenings of the House of Windsor, what I read was news to me, and sheds some light on the Royal Family, Prince Charles, and a marriage that was, unfortunately, doomed from the start.