Diana: In Pursuit of Love [Hardcover]

Andrew Morton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 2004

Diana in Pursuit of Love includes previously unpublished details from the Diana-Morton tapes, it is based on wide-ranging research, and new and exclusive interviews. The definitive book on Diana, Pricess of Wales's last years, by the biographer she herself chose. When Andrew Morton's world-famous biography, Diana: Her True Story was first published, it caused a media frenzy, severely jolted the royal family and the Palace hierarchy, and shook the British Establishment to its foundations. Later revealed as having been written with the Princess's full co-operation, this world bestseller is now widely regarded as her official biography. Yet, it was not the full story, nor could it have been, given the circumstances at the time. This is even more apparent in the light of the events that have occurred since her death, which have been played out under the harsh gaze of the media, once again catapulting Diana's name back into the spotlight. Figures such as her sometime lover James Hewitt, her butler Paul Burrell and Prince Charles's valet Michael Fawcett have emerged, while intriguing comments that Diana made to Morton in taped conversations, and which have never been published, become extremely important in view of subsequent events. Friends, advisers and colleagues, interviewed now, more than six years after her death, feel a far greater freedom in speaking of her than once they did. In what is bound to be seen as the definitive study of the Princess in the most crucial period of her short life, Diana: In Pursuit of Love provides the last word on one of the best-loved figures of our era.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Celebrity biographer Morton’s fourth book on Diana, Princess of Wales, doesn’t contain the shocking revelations of his first exposé, Diana: Her True Story (1992), but provoking a scandal isn’t his intention with this book. Rather, he aims to shed light on Diana’s true personality, which he feels has been distorted by the media and by those who knew or worked for her and subsequently exploited that association. With the help of Diana’s close friends—including her confidante, Dr. James Colthurst, and her astrologer, Debbie Frank—Morton paints a portrait of a princess who, despite her beauty, kindness and popularity, was deeply afflicted by self-doubt, extremely dependent on the counsel of her friends and desperate for a man to love her. "Her heart truly ruled her head," Diana’s masseur, Stephen Twigg, told Morton, and indeed, her fierce determination to enjoy a passionate, genuine relationship is evident in this account. To break free of her loveless marriage, she was willing to defy centuries-old royal protocol and risk losing her position, wealth and even her beloved sons to the Queen, who was legally entitled to guardianship of William and Harry. After the divorce, she pinned her hopes for happiness on several men, adopting their interests and imagining a future with each of them. Morton portrays Diana as lonely and vulnerable, yet possessing an "indomitable spirit." However, he is unrelenting in his criticism of Diana’s butler and onetime friend, Paul Burrell, whose memoir Morton blasts for being exploitative and biased against the Spencer family. Though Morton covers little new ground, he succeeds in putting Diana’s actions in context and presenting a balanced assessment of this indelible figure. 32 pages of color photos.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books; First Edition edition (June 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843170841
• ISBN-13: 978-1843170846
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,119,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb, level-headed overview of Diana from 1991 onward, August 2, 2004

By 

saskatoonguy (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diana: In Pursuit of Love (Hardcover)

Morton combines information from many sources to cover the period from 1991, including her secret collaboration with him on his earlier book, to her death in 1997 plus more recent events such as the Paul Burrell revelations.

There is a pattern in the books by Wharfe, Burrell, Jephson (all of whom worked closely with her) and this book: All four authors strain to deny that Diana had mental health problems, yet they all portray her as incredibly insecure and emotionally volatile. Morton tells us that she would constantly phone her friends for consolation, as many as twenty(!) times a day in the case of one platonic male friend. Although Morton portrays her mental health as positively as he can, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that Diana was a black hole of emotional neediness.

However, on the charge of Diana being paranoid, it seems like a classic case of "You're not paranoid - they really are out to get you." According to Morton, Diana worried about servants going through her mail (they were), servants taking strangers into her bedroom for a fee (they were), and the government tapping her phone lines (they were). Many people associated with Diana reported being followed or having their homes burgled in a way that suggested something other than ordinary criminal activity. An ongoing mystery surrounds the explicit phone conversation between Charles and Camila which was made public, where it appears that a government agency taped the call and then, much later, broadcast it on frequencies monitored by hobbyists. Morton discusses the alleged activities of British secret agencies, but important questions remain unanswered.

For followers of the events surrounding Diana, this is a must-read, pulling together recent events and sorting rumor from fact, and in particular, offering a level-headed commentary on Paul Burrell.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good book to own, some bias shown in it, September 19, 2004

By 

A. Burchfield (Conway, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diana: In Pursuit of Love (Hardcover)

I'd read that this book was mostly the same old stuff warmed over, I found it to be much different than I expected. It's been years since I read the last of Morton's Diana books and this one does have some new material. What were the first ones called? Her True Story & Her New Life? This one tells how it all came about in the first place and is the first time I've read so many of the details. You do not get a lot of the stuff that was printed in the other books, nor in that updated version he rushed out almost before the funeral (he doesn't bother to talk about that)but you will learn more about what happened at the time. This is the first time I've read much about James Colthurst and hs involvement, he's mentioned in quotes but not recent ones.
The worst thing I found in the book was the way Morton seems to promote himself as Diana's protector/ helper, even claiming (with Colthurst) to have advised her on things, and helping write some speeches. He never even hints that he might have any responsibility for the difficulties "Her True Story" caused the Princess when it came out. He gets mean about Martin Bashir and the infamous Panorama interview and starts out belittling Paul Burrell's role in Diana's life then gets vicious (especially about his book and post royal life) as he goes on. Somehow I don't think Paul Burrell deserves a lot of what Morton dishes out and feel it reflects a feeling of "Diana is my story , I'm the man to tell it, no one else can do so well". If he'd left the rip Burrell stuff out and, maybe, shown the Princess a little more respect himself I'd give this book another star, it is a good book.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Queen of hearts, July 2, 2004

By 

Charles Sutherland (Indy, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diana: In Pursuit of Love (Hardcover)

I have to say I was always in love with Diana, and followed her career and life very closely. I collected every magazine cover I could find during her courtship with Charles. I even got to see them once in person, from a distance of course.

I bought Andrew Morton's first book on Diana when it first came out, just like I got this one. This is actually the fourth book on Diana Morton has done. This book continues some of the same information. Morton has included new material here, particularly since the last book was completed some time before Diana's tragic death in Paris.

There aren't any earth shattering revelations here. There are different nuances, and people are naturally a little more free to say what they feel than they did while the Princess was still alive and had a future to consider, both for herself and for her boys. There are some rehashes of the allegations with Michael Fawcett, a few taped conversations that have been included that were considered too sensitive before, but by and large, this is another in a long line of books meant to continue the legacy of Diana as the woman wronged more than she was in the wrong, though there were faults on both sides.

Morton is obviously sympathetic with Diana, and for those of us who still can't get enough of her, this book is a treat. For those who only need a little information, this is still an intriguing book. There were mysteries in Diana's life just as there is a mystery in her death, and Morton writes this in a suspenseful way, because even though we know the fate of Diana as a person, her image lives on and will continue to develop and be surrounded by mysteries, not just the fuzzy details of her death.