Book Description
"Where were you when Diana died?For Trevor Rees-Jones, the answer is simple: he was in the same hospital as Diana, fighting for his own life a few rooms away.As bodyguard to her companion Dodi Fayed, he was with the couple when, hounded by paparazzi, and with a driver who turned out to be drunk, their Mercedes crashed into the thirteenth pillar of the tunnel under the Place de l'Alma in Paris.Dodi and the Driver, Henri Paul, died instantaneously, medics say; Diana was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors worked feverishly to resuscitate her before giving up in the early hours of Sunday morning.Miraculously, Trevor survived.But his condition was critical--internal chest injuries and a broken wrist were the least of it.His head had taken the brunt of the impact and suffered catastrophic damage; his face was crushed beyond recognition.In a stunning medical drama, however, a facial surgeon performed a miracle of reconstruction, and--along with Trevor's own indomitable will and the support of his family and friends--the bodyguard was able to leave the hospital after just over a month.His goal then was straightforward: to return to a normal life as soon as possible, go back to work for his employer, Mohamed Al Fayed, and to the simple pleasures of rugby and his mates at home in Shropshire.But the crash that nearly killed him had killed Diana, Princess of Wales, one of the most famous women of the late twentieth century.A normal life was no longer an option.An as Mohamed Al Fayed's grief at the loss of his son quickly turned into a desperate hunt for reasons, for culprits and conspiracy, Trevor found his unswerving loyalty to the Boss at first questioned and then, ultimately, destroyed, as Fayed pointed the finger of blame at him.The Bodyguard's Story grippingly describes, for the first time, Trevor Rees-Jones's part in these astonishing events.From the prelude to Paris, when Trevor found himself minding the Princess and her two sons in the south of France, to the crash itself and its causes and consequences, this book reveals the true, first-hand account of one of the most sensational news stories of the last century.Compelling, alarming and yet deeply moving, it is a remarkable story of courage under fire, and of how ordinary people can react to extraordinary circumstances and survive, scarred, but with their souls and values intact."
Customer Reviews:
A book to end the conspiracy theories?.......2007-04-22
'The Bodyguard's Story' is ghost written and very readable. It has the intimacy if a biography, a pace befitting the events, and the readable style of novel. Recommended to anyone for a good read, 'The Bodyguard's Story' essential reading for those interested in the events of Diana's death.
As the sole survivor of the crash, the bodyguard's story should be the book to end the conspiracy theories. Its doesn't. First because of the inevitable pre-shock amnesia endured by all crash victims, especially a victim who injuries were so horrific as to bring him close to death. The Bodyguard's Story leaves gaps. Gaps left by the investigation, such as the existence of the Fiat Panda. However 'The Bodyguard's Story' does cover the exhaustive French investigation and accounts for the long period between crash and arrival at hospital for both Diana and 'her' bodyguard.
The book does reveal one fact that is not commonly perceived. The Body guard was not Diana's but for Dodi Al Fayed as employed by his father Mohamed Al Fayed. Diana had no body guard that day.
'The Bodyguard's Story' paints a picture of incompetent security and security officers as worried about instant dismissal by a dictatorial boss, Al Fayed, as they were for the security of their charges. The bodyguard's enduring loyalty to his 'Boss', Al Fayed, leaves a open the possibility, may even appear to suggest, that there were other reasons for the employee's amnesia. The book begs the question as to why Diana put herself at such risk, in the hands of a person known to be at odds with the British government and in a relationship which was bound to be of concern to all.
An intriguing and well written read.
A true account of what happened.......2004-08-08
There is only one person that knows what actually happened before, during and after the horrific accident that left most of the world in shock and disbelief and that is Trevor Rees-Jones.
This was a fascinating look "behind the scenes" of a royal and much beloved figure and a very foolish "commoner". The fault of this accident seems to rest with Dodi making a bunch of unwise decisions that ultimately led to 3 people losing their lives.
A fascinating read, albeit a bit slow in some chapters, but fascinating none the less!
From the source.......2004-01-14
I have always wondered what kind of a person Trevor Rees-Jones was and his book gave an in-depth view of him, personally and professionally . . . in his own words.
The saying goes that "truth is stranger than fiction." The truth is also less sensational and colorful than the portrait painted by tabloid hacks and unethical "journalists" the world over.
From the start, I didn't think Trevor was trying to cash in on his time with Diana, Princess of Wales. In the foreward, he stated that writing the book (author Moira Johnston helped him write it) was his way of dealing with the situation and moving on with his life.
Trevor is an ordinary guy who had a very high profile job. It was because of circumstances on the job (that lead to what Trevor called "an industrial accident") and the fact that he was in a car with the world's most famous woman that has put him center stage for the rest of his life.
I felt sorry for the entire Rees-Jones family as diary entry after another explained the turmoil going on inside each of them: His mother and stepfather's struggle to getting Trevor on the road to recovery, the whole family having to deal with the intense media pressure, having Trevor's professionalism called into question by so-called experts (that, in his own words, were not at the Ritz nor in the car), Trevor's having to cope with the fact that he was the only survivor, the family's having to deal with the first overprotective and subsequently vicious hand of Mohammed Al Fayed. The list goes on.
I did get mad at, but then later understood, Trevor's wanting to keep his job with Al Fayed. He was the textbook case example of a loyal employee. Unfortunately, Mohammed Al Fayed was (and still is) so hung up on his conspiracy theories that he thought Trevor was lying to him about how much he remembered of the accident. It was only when he (Al Fayed) was more forthright in wanting to take complete control of the investigation that Trevor had finally had enough and quit (his good friend, Kez, would also quit about two years after the crash for the same reason: He told Al Fayed to his face that he thought his theories were rubbish).
I give Trevor and his family (his real last name is just Rees but he changed HIS name to Rees-Jones because he was so in love with his now ex-wife Sue Jones) MUCH credit for coming through such a trying time in their lives not only intact but stronger than ever. They did not let any of the media attention go to their heads (even as Trevor's so-called friends and even Sue were selling themselves to the highest bidder in the media). They remained true small town folks to the end (and Trevor was even able to play his beloved rugby not a year after the crash).
Some folks may find this book boring as Trevor is a very down-to-earth chap who just shoots straight from the hip. He doesn't trump up the facts (or make things up entirely as the media decided to do time and again while Trevor refused to give interviews). He presents Diana in a very positive light and tells the unexciting truth about the goings on of the case and behind the scenes shananigans of one Mohammed Al Fayed.
Highly recommended (if you can still get it) for a first hand account of wha it's like on the other side of the camera and news reports.
An Indepth View of a Royal Tragedy.......2003-08-11
Although somewhat hard to follow ; this is a book definitely worth reading.An indepth look , from the only survivor of a car crash that changed history!What could be more exciting.Somewhat rough around the edges;but ,nevertheless honest and telling Never knowing how these fateful events would unfold as they left the Ritz with Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana , Trevor
and Kez only knew that they were between a rock and a hard place.You don't disrespect the Boss's son when he's entertaining a Princess .It wouldn't be the first time Dodi's last minute change of plans surprised the bodyguards .At the recent screening of "Air Force One" Dodi had seated Diana in Trevors' usual seat by the door.Trevor nearly landed in Diana's lap.That same evening on route to the theatre with the Princess,Trevor had shown professionalism in eluding the paparazzi - so why the change in plans at the Ritz? Dodi's former girlfriend ,Kelly Fisher testified that Dodi was a "real dictator to Trevor".It was apparent that Dodi began to mistrust those around him ; and he just may have tried to impress the Princess with Henri Paul ; someone he knew he could trust. Trevor should have been compensated handsomely for his injuries.Money and justice just don't seem to mix .
Basically a waste of time.........................2003-01-23
For those that were truly fans of Diana, this book does nothing. I am not, but still can respect a well written story which this book is definitely not. All it does do, is give some slight info to the curious of what took place a few months prior to her death. As far as any real insight into her life, personality, accident and all the miscellanoeus issues surrounding it, this book just touches the surface. Nothing gained or lost here except a little bit of time in the reading.
Customer Reviews:
Great Books!.......2007-08-09
My 7 year old daughter found this series while we were in London this June. Naturally they were a hit since horses and princesses are two of her favorite things. It also helps that there is a little mystery thrown in. She reads them from cover to cover in one sitting. And she often re-reads them when she is finished. The stories are appropriate and interesting and the characters are loveable.
Customer Reviews:
Great Books!!.......2007-08-09
My 7 year old daughter found this series while we were in London this June. Naturally they were a hit since horses and princesses are two of her favorite things. It also helps that there is a little mystery thrown in. She reads them from cover to cover in one sitting. And she often re-reads them when she is finished. The stories are appropriate and interesting and the characters are loveable.
Great series for pony-crazed girls.......2006-11-11
My 7 year old daughter discovered Princess Ellie books this past summer. She is always anxious to hear the next chapter every evening to see how Princess Ellie will solve her lastest problem revolving around ponies (hers or ones that show up in the books). We found this book fun because Princess Ellie is given instuctions how to deal with the press; and she has to figure out how to solve a mystery without breaking too many of her how-princesses-should-act rules.
Book Description
Ellie is convinced that a ghost is haunting the royal wood. When her pony, Rainbow keeps shying away from the trees, Ellie knows she has to find the ghost or shell never be able to ride in the woods again.
Average customer rating:
- My Review on Diana: Her True Story
- Diana "The Queen Of Hearts"
- GOOD READ BUT NOT ENTIRELY TRUTHFUL
- Spin, from the Mistress thereof
- VERY GOOD!
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Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words
Andrew Morton
Manufacturer: Pocket
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0671024124 |
Amazon.com
Diana: Her True Story was originally published in 1992 under the guise of a quasi-authorized biography, with mostly unnamed courtiers and royalty as the accredited sources. It instantly became a sizzling, international bestseller that lanced the boil of Windsor family dysfunction, triggering a chain of events that led to Charles and Diana's divorce. After her tragic death in 1997, Andrew Morton revealed that Diana herself had not only been the main source for the book, but had also edited his original drafts for accuracy. In return for this gold mine of information, Diana wanted complete anonymity for fear of retaliation from the queen. Her True Story in Her Own Words is enhanced by more than 75 full-color photographs of the princess, from her childhood in Althorp to her marriage to Charles at Westminster Abbey to her humanitarian efforts, and finally to her unforgettable funeral service. However, the most poignant portrayal of the princess emerges from the unedited transcriptions of Diana's interviews with Morton: "I think I'm going to cut a very different path from everyone else. I'm going to break away from this setup and go and help the man on the street."
Book Description
The sudden and tragic death of Princess Diana caused the world to reflect on how much this singular woman meant to us all. This new edition of her life story -- which includes Diana's personal recollections in her own words, as well as an account of the events surrounding her death -- poignantly strengthens her hold on our hearts.
From her fairy-tale wedding and the births of her two wonderful boys to the stunning collapse of her marriage, Diana's luminous but troubled life transfixed millions. Despite enduring heartbreak, illness, and depression, she never wavered in her commitment to the less fortunate, or in her determination to make a better life for herself and her sons. This revealing book is the closest we will ever come to her autobiography -- a lasting and powerful testament to her courage and spirit.
Customer Reviews:
My Review on Diana: Her True Story.......2006-12-12
I sort of liked this book more than some of the other biographies I've read before. To be honest before I read this book I have NEVER heard of Princess Diana. While I read this book I felt sympathetic toward her because she had a real hard life after she became involved with the Prince Charles. Most of the sympathy went into the fact that she received pretty much no help from any one except her mother and father but no help whatsoever from the royal family and was expected to know everything she was supposed to. She had bulimia and no experience at all at being royalty and the somewhat rude expectations from the royal position and the responsibilities that came with it. Not only that but the prince that proposed to Diana (the prince that became her husband) was cheating on her with another woman and everyone was trying to hide the fact that he was seeing the other woman. Along with that problem came the fact that her husband cared more about the other woman than Diane even though she was his wife. An example was that when Diana was still engaged to the prince and the paparazzi were following her and the other woman the prince was seeing, Diana was being followed by like 36 paparazzi the other woman was only being followed by 4 people the prince was sympathetic towards the other woman and didn't even care about the hardships Diana was going through.
So overall I would give the book a good rating since it had a personal interview with Diana and used her own words rather than some facts that could very well be just rumors that were spread.
S.Brock
Diana "The Queen Of Hearts".......2006-11-21
Saint Therese of Lisieux, The Little Flower wrote that she had prayed to discover her true vocation - and that she had found it: "to be love in the heart of the Church"! A novel by Carson McCullers wears the title: "The Heart is A Lonely Hunter". "The heart" is the location of the reality of our life . . .it is where we really dwell . . . and where God dwells with us.
Princess Diana Spencer was indeed a "lonely hunter" searching for herself and for meaning "in her heart" . . . and she found that meaning in the hearts of countless millions throughout the world -- many who encountered her personally and countless millions who never physically met her but DID meet her soul.
Diana's external beauty simply was a radiation outward and visibly of her real true inner beauty - Melanie (Safka) the folk singer wrote a song titled, "Beautiful People", and while Melanie hadn't envisioned "Diana" who probably had just been born about the time she recorded that song, Diana WAS a "beatiful person".
This book by Andrew Morton comes about as close as we might ever come to hearing the voice of Diana speaking for herself. She presents herself to us as she was: frailties included - but "the flaws" are what mark individuals as unique and as the amazing persons that they are - and the faults simply lend contrast to their perfections and more noble character.
The world cried when Diana died . . . and she left us wondrous memories of a "Camelot" that did exist if but for a fleeting moment . . . and she left us an example of how "love" can exist in the heart of the worldfor any other person in need, whatever their need or hurt and wherever they may live. She was a friend of Mother Terese and Mother Terese was a friend to Diana (Diana was buried with rosaries Mother Teresa gave her) - they lived in two different atmospheres but shared that sense of "human pain".
This volume lets Diana linger with us a while longer . . . and the photographs bring her back once again and remind us of why we all fell under her spell.
And beneath the surface of her image . . . between the lines of her words, we can also find hints as to how we can live a more compassionate and understanding and caring life of "love" ourselves.
Diana is missed . . . and she should be . . . but the world was blessed that she walked among us even for so brief a time. Her smile is now eternal.
GOOD READ BUT NOT ENTIRELY TRUTHFUL.......2004-12-02
I first read this book when it came out in 1992. Like everyone else, I was shocked and blamed Prince Charles for the marriage falling apart.
Since she died, there's been a number of credible stories come out that shows Diana to be manipulative, emotionally immature, stubborn and just plain bizarre. While her devotion to her children is unquestionable, and her charity work obviously came right from her heart, there were too many other aspects of her character that were not so glossy.
I mean come on, if your wife was pregnant and threw herself down the stairs to get your attention, would you not seriously question her mental stability? Anyone who can cut themselves with a lemon peeler or smash themselves against a glass cabinet is obviously a few bricks short of a load and in serious need of help. When she did the Panorama interview in 1995, she declared that she felt "betrayed" when her former lover James Hewitt did a tell-all book.............uh, well didn't she do the exact same thing to her husband when she told Andrew Morton all the dirty details of their marriage?
While I despised Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles for their affair, I understand now (a decade later) why he would turn to her: for some NORMALCY in his life.
Be that as it may, the one fasinating thing about Diana is her uncanny ability to predict things. In this book, it tells of her conversations when she was young that she was going to marry someone "in the public eye". She also apparently predicted her father's stroke in 1975. But what was fasinating to read in 1992 was Diana's belief that "while she knows that William will one day be King, she is firm in her belief that she will never become Queen" and "I am performing my duty as Princess of Wales, but I can't see it for much longer than 15 years." As we all know, she was Princess of Wales for 16 years. She made these statements 6 years before she died.....
Spin, from the Mistress thereof.......2004-11-17
Andrew Morton's book, written in collusion with the late Diana, is a well-written, cleverly confected polemic designed to undo the very people who made her what she was (or, as some in the UK were wont to say, "After all, she's just a royal by injection"). Purportedly the daughter of a famous alcoholic (Lord Spencer), she exhibited all the classic symptoms of an adult child of an alcoholic; low self-esteem, poor boundaries, poor impulse control, chronic depression, a pattern of blaming others for her problems, etc. Of course, one can add on bulemia (from which she suffered before she married her poor husband), and other deep-seated psychiatric disorders. All this is clearly shown in the book to any critical reader. My daughter's godmother, the late Ouida Huxley, used to regale us with stories told her by one of the Queen's closest confidants, who herself witnessed how during the height of her omnipotence Diana would disparage her husband to his face, in front of the family, on his lack of charisma compared to her. She pulled cute pranks like screaming and rolling about on the floor when she didn't get what she wanted (in this particular case, to go to Majorca instead of Balmoral) in a fine impression of a grand mal epileptic seizure, in front of the Queen at a family meeting. For some reason (and it wasn't Camilla, who re-entered the scene only after all efforts at marital repair were exhausted), Diana felt as if the ungrateful royals needed to be paid back for her psychic pain, not realizing that the source of her suffering was in her own head. Andrew Morton's book is the result. It's as one-sided as an autobiography by a narcissist. Morton was either duped, or a willing collaborator in the tearing down of Britain's primary civic institution, the Monarchy. This work (if such it may be called) is about as accurate as Soviet propaganda. It is a fantasy woven from scraps of truth. If Diana had lived, and married the dreadful Dodie Fayed, she would have lost her titular "Princess" title, and reverted to merely the (alleged) daughter of an earl, and would have once again been "Lady Di". Dodie's dad was planning to lugubriously install the two love-birds in the Windsors' old place in the Bois de Boulogne. Eventually, no doubt, she would have tried out one of her famous emotionally wracking "turns" on Dodie (an Egyptian man, mind you) and would have infallibly been kicked out on her coutured posterior. During that time anyone who knew her, even from a distance, could see that Diana's life was on an inexorable and endless downward cycle (remember, even her brother, who so "courageously" dissed his own godmother, the Queen, on international television, refused to have Christmas dinner with D the last year of her life). Andrew Morton's book is a classic celebrity bio. Poor Diana. She was never happy, she would never be happy, and she was going to sow chaos and destruction wherever she went. Death, however, mercifully came for Diana before her life got even worse.
VERY GOOD!.......2004-09-30
If you need to read just ONE book rehardsing Princess Diana... This is THE one you must pick!
You will be delighted with all the details and will admire even more this wonderful person.
A book you MUST have on your shelves!
Book Description
This is the story of the fascinating life of the Honourable Mrs. Frances Shand Kydd, mother to one of the most famous women in the world, Princess Diana. It features exclusive interviews and previously unseen photographs, and details the many similarities between the lives of Frances Shand Kydd and her daughter—from adultery, scandal, and divorce, to conflict with the British Establishment.
Customer Reviews:
Not a yawn!.......2004-02-14
I thought this biography told me a great deal about a person I knew very little about (except basically gossipy bits from other "Diana" books). It is well-written, sympathetic to the subject, yet fair. You learn that Frances was the warm-hearted child of a reserved mother & affectionate father; just a very nice girl, who unfortunately ended up making the mistake of marrying the wrong man (Earl Spencer) and basically has had to pay for that mistake, her whole life. Some of the mistakes of her own upbringing were repeated with her children, to the greater detriment of her two younger children, but one could argue she had no choice, having lost custody of them thanks to her mother & Earl Spencer's machinations, and the mores of the time. It's good to read "her side", after hearing so much garbage about how she left Diana's father and the reasons why. Also, Paul Burrell's book portrays her SO badly (and I believe most unfairly). Frances deserves the chance to tell her version of events & in Max Riddington she's found the means to do so -- Well done, very interesting, and a must-read for those who want to hear ALL sides of the story of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Yawn . . ........2004-02-06
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.
Amazon.com
This account of Althorp, his family seat, by Charles, the ninth earl Spencer, only scratches the surface of its 500-year history. Nevertheless, whether he is describing the sleepless nights of his childhood, the ticking of clocks "always ... too subtle a sound, getting absorbed in the oak of the floorboards and the fabric of the tapestries," or appraising the forbidding character of his grandfather, the "Curator Earl," Spencer casts a candid, evocative light on his subject.
Indeed, Spencer's own efforts on the estate have been considerable. First comes the business of repairing the predations of his "short-termist stepmother," Raine, the countess of Dartmouth, who has laid down wall-to-wall oatmeal carpet in a 115-foot-long Tudor picture gallery. Now comes the death and burial on the estate of his sister, Diana, the princess of Wales. That Charles must now curate the family home as a site of global mourning is a trial quite the equal of anything the estate has ever faced.
Subtitled "The Story of an English House," the book has a structure, dividing the subject into buildings, grounds, family history, and collections, that is entirely conventional. Yet Spencer surprises by packing in many details about the social and political vicissitudes that shaped his family's wealth and taste. In doing so, he eschews his grandfather's regrettable elitism, while losing none of the old man's dedication to the family's heritage. Like all good introductions, this book suggests a world and time far exceeding its little compass. --Simon Ings
Book Description
The great house and grounds of Althorp in Northamptonshire have been home to the Spencer family for nearly 500 years. They first leased farm land in the area of grazing in 1486, and in 1508 Sir John Spencer acquired the 300-acre estate on which he built the first house. Since then, Spencers have lived and died at Althorp for twenty generations, and the Park has now taken on an added significance as the burial place of the most loved princess of the twentieth century.
Charles Spencer, who became the ninth Earl in 1992, has a deep love and knowledge of the house, reflected in the fact that he acted as a guide there when he was just twelve years old and in the tremendous redocorative work he has undertaken in recent years to restore it to its former glories. In 1998 there was further major work with the adapting of the quite beautiful Stable Block--once home to 100 horses and forty grooms--into a center for visitors incorporating an exhibition celebrating the life of Diana.
Earl Spencer has written a fascinating account of the house that combines the details of art and architecture (Althorp has one of the greatest private art collections in the country, including paintings by Van Dyck, Rubens, Reynolds, Stubbs and Gainsborough) with a personal appreciation of all its qualities. He also provides a first-hand description of the many changes that have occurred in recent years. With splendid photography, some of it from Althorp's archives and some of it specially commissioned, this new book offers the perfect guide to one of England's greatest houses.
Customer Reviews:
Lovely to look at - but without Diana...........2000-12-13
I have to admit I probably would have only been vaguely interested in The Story of Althorp had it not been for the Diana, Princess of Wales Factor. I still harbour some curiosity about her childhood and background. Funnily though Charles Spencer, Diana's brother who is the author of this book, points out early on that their were actually quite old (although still children) when they moved there - the Earl Spencer didn't inherit it from his father until quite late in the piece.
I didn't pick it up solely for Diana though - This was home to one of the most interesting families in the period that I am extremely interested in. The First Earl Spencer and his wife (eighteenth century) had two infamous daughters. Their eldest daughter, Georgiana born in the late 1750's who later married the 5th Duke of Devonshire She has been the subject of numerous biographies on her life. The second daughter led a quieter but only slightly less fascinating life - that was Henrietta who married Lord Bessborough. Henrietta's own daughter was the shocking Lady Caroline Lamb. So all in all this house has a wonderful coterie of historical 'ghosts' knocking around in its archives. All good material for Spencer to draw on - and he does.
Unlike a previous reviewer of this book I don't have any problems with the text and illustrations - the hanging of the paintings (the reviewer saw them turning up in different rooms) is fully explained in the text and it is easy to see which are the before photos and which are the after ones. This includes an explanation and reference in the text to which photo is the dining room before it was turned into the dining room.
What I found most interesting about this book was that it was more than just a history of the people who lived in the house, it was actually a history of the house. Of the changes which had been made over time, walls being knocked out, cladding put on, rooms covered over - all the things which happen to a stately home over 300 years of existence - and the effects which it has on the building.
Spencer is very personal in his writing, I don't think he lacks for self-confidence anyway and although it didn't detract from the book at times I found myself smiling and wondering did he really think he would ever fail?
On his step-mother, Raine. Well it has never been a secret the feelings that her step-children had for her. Given some of the things which have come out in the past I think he was remarkably restrained in limiting himself to some pithy statements on her handling of the design of the house - which I have to say seeing the photos of the rooms she decorated - I am in full agreement with him.
Still while I enjoyed the book immensely, and would recommend anyone with an interest in things English to read this book, it doesn't rate as one that I would keep on my shelves. There are books more specifically in my particular area of interest - Georgian House Style - a recent good one I read was by Henrietta Spencer Churchill which is also on Amazon.
Althorp: The Story of An English House.......2000-09-13
This history book of Althorp (pronounced Awltrupp - per the second chapter) is the kind you would expect to see at the house's giftshop. The publication date is 1998, but the thoughtful, researched text suggests that the Earl was probably writing the book before Diana's death.
The text describes the evolution of the house and grounds as they have passed from each generation, with the final chapter explaining the design of Diana's memorial. However, there is very little about Diana in the remainder of the book. Where she is mentioned, it is often but a sentence, as with this description of the family Bible: "...Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough's family Bible, which lists every member of the Spencer family after her, naming their date of birth, date and place of christening, godparents, date and place of marriage, spouse, children and date of death. I recently had to bring it up to date."
The book's pictures are of rooms on the ground and first floors (first and second floors in American), valued paintings, other art objects and the grounds. The Earl redecorated Althorp after inheriting it in 1992. I think his style is lovely. The house looks livable and the grouping of paintings, which he attributes to Edward Bulmer, is as special as the Earl describes.
However, it is with the pictures that I find a fault with the book. Under scrutiny, I noticed that some furnishings are in more that one room. Dated captions may have helped with this: Sir Joshua Reynolds' portrait of Georgiana, Countess Spencer with her daughter Lady Georgiana, is seen hanging in the Marlborough Room as a drawing room (page 144), while it is also seen hanging in the South Drawing Room on page 11 (decorated by the Earl) and the South Drawing Room on page 128 (decorated by Raine). We know the Earl made the Marlborough Room a dining room. So what is the time period of the room on page 144?
The treatment of Raine, the Earl's former stepmother, is the book's other fault. The Earl has used this as an opportunity to criticize her, her decorating, and even her servants. He describes Raine among "short-termist stepmothers [who] have made massive inroads into once secure inheritances." The pictures of her decorating of Althorp are the most awful pictures in the book: the chapel used as a storage area ("never patient in those days with things Christian"), a library with little furniture, the South Drawing Room in poor light.
The Earl's criticisms do not seem to fit in this book when the prior 100 pages describe how generations of Spencers have sold art and land to maintain Althorp. The Earl himself rents out Althorp for corporate business entertaining.
(Raine's decorating was featured in an article in the January 1991 Architectural Digest. Yes, she used too much gilding; her style was that of an older woman. But her furnished library really does not look much different from the Earl's and the South Drawing Room is photographed in kinder light.)
However, these two faults, and the lack of a map of the grounds, did not stop me from enjoying the book. I look forward to seeing if the Earl's latest book, The Spencers: A Personal History of An English Family, is up to the writing standard he has established here.
Althorp, The Story of an English House.......2000-03-16
This is a wonderful book! In particular enjoyed the way that Charles Spencer brought his ancestors "to life." He gave some very personal and fascinating ancedotes about his ancestors.
The pictures of Althorp were absolutely beautiful, and he went into great detail explaining the history of the contents of the rooms and the history that took place in them.
Charles Spencer stated that he was afraid, at one point, he would not make his mark on Althorp. He certainly has made a significant mark for the better. It is amazing what he has done in such a short period of time.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read. It is entertaining, funny, informative, creative and fascinating.
Althorp, great history.......1999-06-30
That's it, I'm going to be a history major. I loved this book. Who says you can't write history in the first person? I laughed, I cried, I could relate to the author at times. I too love fine houses. I found it most amusing, all the tales he told about selling furnishings just to keep the house. I mean this book is part history, part autobiography, and it reminds us all of the bond we have with our house, our ancestors, our land, and the pictures we hang on the wall. I highly recommend it.
A great book and a real pleasure to read........1999-04-23
This book is filled with historical facts and alot of pictures. Earl Spencer gives a witty and factual account of "Althorp" over the centuries. His knowledge of the former Earls and what they each contributed to the house during their lifetimes, make a great read. The family art collection is unbelievable a couple of his relatives were painted by Gainsboro himself.
Customer Reviews:
Good stuff but not really worth the money if you stil have the magazine issues.......2007-10-11
Kind of a start to finish collection of selected People Diana covers/articles. It's nice to look through and read (would make a nice keepsake for the Diana fan)- especially if you missed some issues like I certainly did- but not really worth buying if you still have the original copies in good condition. I don't regret buying it but had hoped for just a bit more than a buyer gets here. There was a paperback edition out at first, haven't seen it recently, only slightly cheaper but this version would be the one to get for durability.
Diana Our England,s Rose.......2007-10-01
Hi, I bought my People Magazine Tribute to Diana at local B&N Bookstore and i am so happy that I did!!! I love the history of Diana,s life from the begining as alittle girl, meeting Charlas, the engaement, the births of William and HARRY,diana,s sister in-law Sarah, her marriage troubles and diana rising up a Pheonix the fire bird.I am so glad Dodi made Diana so happy. I love all the colour photos!!! BIG CHEERS TO PEOPLE MAGAZINE!!!!
Diana covers - brought back lots of memories!.......2007-09-14
I really enjoyed this re-visit to the People covers! It was a great way to look back!
DIANA AN AMAZING LIFE FROM PEOPLE MAGAZINE.......2007-09-10
THIS WAS AN EXCELLANT BOOK WITH BEAUTIFUL PICTURES AND ARTICLES AND IT LEFT YOU FEELING LIKE YOU KNEW THE PRINCESS FROM THE BEGINNING OF HER LIFE TO THE END. AN EXCELLENT TRIBUTE TO HER LIFE.
none.......2007-09-04
I would have liked to see a book with more of the People stories, not just the covers.
Amazon.com
Ingrid Seward, a prolific writer on the English royal family, was the last journalist to interview Princess Diana before her death in August 1997. In this intriguing book, Seward gives a worm's-eye view of Diana's trouble-plagued life, layered with episodes of betrayal and illness, and she accords full sympathy to the minor noblewoman who became "the people's princess." She is still more sympathetic to Diana's sometime nemesis Queen Elizabeth II, who, in Seward's account, labored endlessly to preserve the dignity of the monarchy in the face of a family that behaved in anything but a dignified manner.
Rising above the caricatures that color the popular press, Seward depicts a queen who tried her best to accommodate Diana--who was, it seems, never shy in voicing her displeasures and had an undeniable flair for recruiting the media in her cause, all the while protesting the press's intrusion into a fairy-tale life that "turned into a Gothic nightmare." Diana's insistence on airing her dirty laundry in public was bound to irritate the ever-sensitive queen, but more, Seward writes, "in her demands for love and sympathy, she gave self-fulfillment precedence over duty"--and for Elizabeth, dereliction of duty was the greatest possible sin one could commit. Their relationship could end only in tears; and so it did, taking much of the English public's good will toward the royal family with it.
Sometimes racy and breathless, but intelligent all the same, Seward's account enlarges our understanding of the internal dynamics of the modern court while delivering no end of scandalous news, just as a palace chronicle should. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
As the editor of Majesty magazine, Ingrid Seward has developed professional and personal relationships with the royal family. We discover a surprising portrait of the English monarch and the princess, contradicting what the press has previously reported: a fragile Diana battling an unfeeling mother-in-law. We learn that the Queen tried to welcome Diana into the royal family and that Di failed to grasp the hand of friendship. From the princess herself we hear details of what went on between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. And we glimpse much more about the inner workings of the extended royal family.
Entertaining and factual, The Queen & Di stands apart and above the countless, often inaccurate, accounts published to date about Diana. Ingrid Seward reveals for the first time the true relationship between two important women of the 20th century.
Customer Reviews:
Tabloid Trash.......2007-08-25
Seward should be ashamed of herself for this enormously biased gossip rag. It's quite easy to trash the Princess now... after all, the dead have a much more difficult time defending themselves.
Palace Propoganda.......2004-12-31
This book is definitely biased in favor of the House of Windsor. It appears that the author thought it prudent to align herself with the powers that be rather than report an accurate historical account. There are too many contradictary sources to believe that this is an accurate portrayal of the relationship between the Queen and Princess Diana.
Sad..........2004-03-23
I find Ms. Seward's writing to be painful to read. For an editor of Majesty magazine, I expected her to have class in her manner of writing and respect in her depiction of the British royal family. She would have been well suited as a writer for the tabloids instead. Her manner of retelling is very gossipy, and biased. She can't seem to help but include her spiteful opinions of the late princess. I find her to be a very disrespectful person to be writing such a book. If you are looking for historical background or a respectful account of the Queen and the late princess, this is not the book to read.
The Knowledge of a Misunderstood Relationship.......2003-09-18
If you are like half of the population and interested in all the gossip about the House of Windsor and the late Princess of Wales, then this book should be one that you should read. This book is about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. This book, to my belief, is a piece of evidence on why we as the public should respect Her Majesty, and why we should understand what their relationship is truly about. The book describes Diana's first State duty with the entire Royal Family in November 1984 at the State Opening of Parliament. Diana was having her hair being done for the event and insisted that she wore her hair up knowing that it was not long enough and looked different. The next day Diana's hair was on the headlines not the Queen, on which should have been a day of her publicity. This was the beginning of the popularity contest between these two women.
The author Ingrid Seward, is editor of Majesty magazine. She has written many books about the Royal Family that has kept her in the bestsellers list for twelve years.
This book all and all will give you a better knowledge about both women and will teach you the inside story of what happened behind the palace walls of two remarkable women and there relationship that is so widely known and questioned by the public.
God Save the Queen!.......2003-09-15
Thank you, Ms. Seward for writing a fair and reasonable book. It's gratifying to read a work that illuminates how hard our queen tried to accomodate the late Princess of Wales and what a truly lovely person she is. Elizabeth II is a great queen -- history will bear this out -- and I think we often take her far too much for granted. God bless and keep her!
As a British subject currently residing the states, I remain astonished at the rabid interest our royal family holds for Americans.
Average customer rating:
|
The Day I Met Diana Princess of Wales: the People's Story
S. Hills
Manufacturer: Long Barn Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Princess Diana
| Royalty
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
20th Century
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0952828596 |
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