Customer Reviews

Frances: The Remarkable Story of Princess Diana's Mother

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This biography finally told me a great deal about a person I knew very little about (except for gossipy bits from "Diana" bios). It is well-written, sympathetic to the subject, yet fair. You learn that Frances was the warm-hearted child of a reserved mother and an affectionate father; just a very nice, somewhat emotionally insecure girl, who unfortunately made the mistake of marrying the wrong man (The Earl Spencer), and has basically had to pay for that mistake, for her whole life.

Some of the mistakes of her own upbringing were repeated by her with her children, to the greater detriment of her two younger children. However, it could be be said that a major part of the damage done to Diana and to Charles Spencer occurred because Frances lost custody thanks to her mother & The Earl Spencer's machinations, and the mores of the time. She was sidelined as a mother, both by this failed custody action and because she removed herself from England with her new husband, seeking a new beginning. The failed custody action and what Frances' mother did caused an unhealed breach in family relations which seems to remain unresolved to this day.

It's good to read "her side", after hearing so much gossipy garbage about how she "bolted" from Diana's father for another man, and learning the real reasons behind her decision. Also, Paul Burrell's recent book portrays Frances SO badly (and I believe most unfairly). Frances deserved the chance to tell her version of events and in Max Riddington she found the means to do so. It's well done, interesting, and a must-read for those who want to hear ALL sides of the story of Frances, and to understand the character of Diana, Princess of Wales a little better too.

While there are some interesting tidbits in this book, it can in no way be called an objective biography. The authors developed a close relationship with the subject and it shows. Some insight would have be interesting in the area of her alcohol use, her feelings about Diana's choice of Muslim men, Charles Spencer's womanizing, her religious conversion and her ultimate isolation from society at large. The book is instead a compilation of her philosophies about life and childrearing. With her youngest two children (Diana and Charles) clearly so badly damaged by their parents divorce, it would have been interesting to get her views on her responsibility for the end product. There is none of this. In the end, it is the last photo of Mrs. Shand Kydd in the book that says much more than the book does. Alone on her island looking sad, old and careworn.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was well written. It was the first book to tell the life of Princess Diana's Mother, and was especially interesting since the author had interviewed Diana's mother.

So much negativity on Diana's Mom and this book cleared it all up for me. Wonderful book and finally learned the truth.....She was abused by her husband but then of course blamed for everything. Women are always the ones who suffer. May she rest in peace.

I can't recall ever coming across another book on the late Princess of Wales' mother, but this rehashes all the familiar stories of her famous divorce & lost custody battle, and tries to explain her tenuous relationship with her children. While a sympathetic character, she has always seemed somewhat mysterious and I can't say this has cleared much up in that regard. I'm unsure why she agreed to cooperate with this effort, unless she knew it was to be written anyway and thought she'd try and get her part right. She seems a lonely and isolated figure, partly by her own design, but nonetheless seems to have not had such a nice life after her first marriage. Her second marriage seems to have been ruined by her daughter's fame. I consider myself a bit of an expert on the POW, and unfortunately this book didn't tell me much I didn't know already.