The People's Princess: Cherished Memories of Diana, Princess of Wales, From Those Who Knew Her Best (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The subtitle notwithstanding, at least three of the essayists in this warm collection edited by CNN talk-show host King not only didn't know Diana best, they never met her. On the positive side, those who did know the princess, including her own secretary, Patrick Jephson, as well as less intimate acquaintances like Joan Collins, share some lovely memories of the woman they remember as compassionate, warm, loving and, above all, funny. British journalist Piers Morgan recalls that she had a great laugh. A really earthy, infectious cackle. The queen's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter remembers professing mock horror at a British princess driving a German car, to which Diana retorted, Well, at least it's more reliable than a German husband. While most of the contributors are admiring, several, including actor Robert Powell, mention her shortcomings as well, citing her temper and questioning her status as royal victim. Some of the pieces are simply maudlin, but one of the most genuinely touching ones is by Tessa Dahl (daughter of Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal), a childhood friend of Diana's. Interspersed with recollections of her chum, Dahl reveals painful details of her own life, and a writing talent that leave one hoping she'll write a memoir of her own. (July)
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Product Description

In the ten years since Princess Diana’s shocking and tragic death in 1997, her hold on the world’s imagination has only increased. For The People’s Princess, Larry King asked many people who knew Diana, some officially and some more personally, for their favorite memories.

Sir Richard Branson recalls Diana sitting in the cockpit of one of his private planes with baby Prince William on her lap; as they flew past Windsor Castle she announced, “On our right you have Grandma’s house!” Heather Mills, who, like Diana, has been a tireless campaigner for charitable causes, recalls Diana’s work to eradicate the scourge of land mines, as well as the time she was photographed shaking hands with an AIDS patient in a London hospital, doing so much to counteract the stigma associated with the disease at the time. British radio and television personality Chris Tarrant recalls how clearly nervous he was upon meeting Diana for the first time, and how she put him at ease with an incredibly rude joke about Kermit the Frog. Photographer Tim Graham remembers Diana lying on the floor with baby William in order to coax a smile from the young prince. And her chief bodyguard recalls how happy and at peace she seemed on the day he agreed to her simple request: to be allowed to walk, truly alone for once, along a beautiful, deserted beach.

Some of these recollections are warm and intimate, celebrating Diana for her ability to make a human connection with everyone she met, others are perceptive and revealing, even about Diana’s human failings and frailties. Together, they coalesce into a multifaceted portrait of a woman that the world has long desired to know a little better.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (July 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030733953X
• ISBN-13: 978-0307339539
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #994,080 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible, August 8, 2007

By	nitsa (New York , New York United States) - See all my reviews

You know its bad when you have Barbara Eden as one of the people who pay tribute to Diana. Yes that Barbra Eden as in "I Dream of Jeannie". Did I miss something? The book's title suggests that the tributes are written by "those who knew her best" Who are these people coming out of the woodwork..Tyra Banks, Donald Trump, etc. Some of these people never even met her how can they know her best? I am a die hard Diana fan and have most of her books but I must say this one put me to sleep. Did you ever hear the expression,"I was so bored I couldn't kill myself"? Well lets just say it was that bad. Don't waste your time nor money. If you really must read this just go to the library. This has got to be the worst Diana book I have ever read.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars King of Cashing In on The Anniversary, July 22, 2007

By	Loves Books (Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

Unlike the other reviewers to date, I disliked this book and found it a bid to cash in on the anniversary of Princess Diana's death. How well did Larry King - or many of those who contributed to the book - really know her?

I usually enjoy compilations and had there been more substance, this would have been no exception. Instead, I found the book shallow and barely skims the surface. Perhaps these people did know her, but after reading the book, a more appropriate title would seem to be ".... From Those Who Met Her". I wanted to like this book, but it was like going to dinner and getting only a few hors d'oeuvres.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tributes to Diana from her friends and fans from the heart, July 20, 2007

By	Reviewer from Queens - See all my reviews

A really wonderful book--a series of tributes to the late Princess of Wales by people from all walks of life, the famous and not so famous.The tributes are from people who knew Diana and met her and some were close friends, some were from people who admired her and were inspired. Each tribute is a vignette from one paragraph to several pages summing up their impressions of Diana and their experiences. Among these are: Larry King, Donald Trump,Sarah Bradford, Heather Mills, Joan Collins, Barbara Eden, Richard Kay, Twiggy, Catherine Walker, Tessa Dahl, and Ken Wharfe. I was moved by Tessa Dahl, a contemporary of the late Princess, she wrote about the parallel lives she and the Princess led and her story was quite moving. Bravo to Heather Mills who wrote in her tribute: "Remember--monuments are not erected to those who criticize, but rather to those who have been criticized." I also liked actr Christopher Biggins tribute and agreed fully when he wrote: "The biggest mistake of her (Diana's)life was to fall in love with her husband. If she hadn't cared for him so much it would have made everything easier to deal with. I don't think anyone had ever taken her aside and explained that her husband had a mistress. She was too young and innocent..." This is a vivid book that captures the personality of Diana. I do have several quibbles but these don't detract from the excellence and spirit of this book. One is that in Joan Hanger's tribute she writes that Will Carling "admitted" having an affair with Diana. I don't recall this happening and Carling who was in the middle of a nasty divorce would not have said a word. And those who knew the late Princess deny that there ever was a physical affair. The second is that in the Timeline at the end of the book, James Hewitt is said to be the man that Diana conversed with on the Squidgy Gate tapes, it was not Hewitt but James Gilbey. The third is the rather sour "tribute" by Dickie Arbiter who seems to pay tribute a little too grudgingly. I am thankful that Joan Rivers was not asked to pay "tribute" to Diana particularly after her rather acid appraisal of Diana after she died (she was invited to Charles and Camilla's wedding and appeared on Larry King and added particularly nasty comments about Diana). This is a fantastic book, Diana fans will want to buy this.