The Real Diana [Paperback]

Lady Collin Campbell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1905147066 | ISBN-13: 978-1905147069 | Publication Date: April 1, 2007

She led me to believe she wanted me to 'write the truth of my life' to quote her.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Say what you will about the author of The Real Diana, but Lady Colin Campbell certainly is no practitioner of noblesse oblige. This is a book for those who like their gossip explicit and in large quantities, and who aren't bothered by little details like verifiable attribution. (The vast majority of quotes in this book are from "a member of the Wales household," "a lady-in-waiting," "a courtier," and most ironically of all, "a friend.") Lady Campbell claims to be the person whom Diana first approached to write the tell-all biography that Andrew Morton was later to author. And though she turned down that opportunity, this is her second publication to cash in on her "insider status" (Diana in Private was her first), which is seemingly a reference to her title by marriage and a casual acquaintance with the princess.

With its paucity of named sources, it's probably impossible to authoritatively separate fact from fiction in The Real Diana, though it does seem that what with affairs, petty vengeances, and temper tantrums, Di would have had little time left for her courtly duties. Campbell's style is lively enough, and she has some interesting insights into the modern British aristocracy and its unconventional values. But are you truly curious to learn not only the details of the late princess's lovers' techniques, but also the names of the two therapists Diana went to for colonic irrigation? --John Longenbaugh --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This recent addition to the profusion of unauthorized "tell-all" biographies of the late Princess of Wales rehashes many of the sensational assertions made in Campbell's 1992 work, Diana in Private. Depicting herself as a palace insider, the author makes the unsubstantiated claim that Diana was sexually active with her future husband and other lovers prior to marriage and that she had many lovers after that union. She asserts that the princess was mentally ill, speculating that she suffered variously from bulimia, depression, self-mutilation, paranoia, and, perhaps, schizophrenia. While it seems clear that Diana was troubled and unhappy, these assertions of serious illness are made with only the flimsiest of support. Even the capable reading of Roe Kendall cannot overcome the purple prose of this gossipy tome. Libraries compelled to purchase it because of the demand for all things Diana will be tempted to classify it in the fiction section. Not recommended.ALinda Bredengerd, Univ. of Pittsburgh Lib., Bradford
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Books (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905147066
• ISBN-13: 978-1905147069
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,962,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lady Colin Campbell is a highly successful and prolific author of several books, including London and New York Times bestsellers, and has been a prominent and often controversial figure in royal and social circles for many years. She perhaps is best known for her international bestselling book Diana in Private, 1992, and her subsequent extended and revelatory biography of the Princess of Wales, The Real Diana published in 2004. She has written books on the Royal Family, been a long term columnist and appeared numerous times on TV and Radio as an experienced Royal Insider and expert on the British aristocracy. In 1997 she published her autobiography, A Life Worth Living, which was serialised in The Daily Mail. Born in St Andrew, Jamaica, she was educated there and in New York, where she lived for seven years. She is connected to British royalty through common ancestors and marriage. She has two sons and lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Princess Behind the Fairytale Lies, March 15, 2005

By 

Marco Twania (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Diana: Her Marriage, Her Love Affairs, Her Secrets (Hardcover)

Lady Colin Campbell may not be the best writer I have ever read, but she writes the truth, and what is better than that for a biography? The people who don't like this book are the ones who don't seem to be willing to ever think that their beloved Princess of Hearts could be a vengeful b*tch, who was a bit off in the head, or that Charles was not the devil Diana wished him to portrayed as.

As it has been widely reported by pretty much everyone who knew the Princess, including her own family, she was very vindictive and a known liar. So read her accounts with a grain of salt (or a shaker), then read this book. Nothing is black and white, so remember the gray matter. I also reccomend Piers Morgan's new book to show the side of Diana many don't want to admit she had.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed antidote to the normal Diana hagiography, August 8, 2000

By 

Derek Leaberry (Bennett Point, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Diana: Her Marriage, Her Love Affairs, Her Secrets (Hardcover)

Though this book is flawed due to the author's use of scores of unnamed sources, it paints a pretty ugly picture of Diana. Diana comes across as vengeful, immature, irrational, bullying and a little kooky. Interesting to those not knowledgeable of the millieu of the British aristocracy, the seeds of this disasterous marriage were planted in the 1950s. Diana's grandmother, Lady Fermoy, became part of the royal circle when she became, I believe, the Queen Mother's Lady of the Bedchamber or some office of similar antiquary antecedants. The Spencers became part of the Royal family's orbit with Diana able to scheme her way into a marriage with Prince Charles. Sadly, Diana was a poor fit. She was troubled tempermentally, probably due to the fact of belonging to a broken-up, dysfunctional family. Her selfish parents were of great damage to Lady Diana. Diana and Charles were poor fits as personalities. Diana was exuberant, urban and unintellectual. Charles is laid-back, intellectual and at heart a country gentleman who relishes the manly sports of the countryside. During the very brief courtship between Lady Diana and Prince Charles, Diana led Charles to believe that she enjoyed the outdoor sports he enjoyed. This was dishonest and did not serve either well in the long run of things. In the end, however, Prince Charles must be given much of the blame for a foolish marriage as he was a man of thirty and Diana was still a girl of nineteen. Much of the later parts of the book are tediously filled with vicarious stories of Princess Diana's bedroom romps, visits to various psychiatrists, gurus and even astrologers(the silly author seems to find astrologers to be serious people), and the more widely known stories of Diana's genuine desire to bring comfort to those not as fortunate as herself. Lady Campbell's style is catty, chatty and unscholarly. But she seems to treat the greatly flawed Princess honestly. She does not paint the portrait of a saint-to the dissatisfaction of millions of Diana worshippers.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'The Real Diana" is the best book on Diana ever published., June 10, 1998

By 

Snooper's Mom (Hudson, NH USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Real Diana: Her Marriage, Her Love Affairs, Her Secrets (Hardcover)

Among the countless books published about Diana (and I've read most of them!) this one is truly outstanding. With her insight into the British class system, and her well-placed sources, Lady Colin Campbell has written the most authoritative biography ever published. All the pieces of Diana's multi-faceted personality are explored, revealing why she behaved the way she did over the years. The picture is now crystal clear. I had expected a gossipy, unsubstantiated book, but instead, this is a scholarly work.