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Summary
Summary
Revealing the real woman behind the fairy-tale princess, "The Queen & Di" is written by the editor of "Majesty" magazine. "A surprisingly fresh addition to the mountain of biographies of the late Princes of Wales. . . . Well-written, guilt-free treat."--"Kirkus Reviews." of color and b & w photos. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
It is hard to imagine a need for yet another look at the short, glamorous, tabloid-trashy life of Diana, Princess of Wales, but this in-depth analysis of the princess's rise and fall distinguishes itself with its restraint, psychological insight and abundant insider knowledge while never veering very far from good gossip. Steward, who has written seven books on the British royal family and was editor of Majesty magazine for 17 years, has had personal relationships with many of her subjects and often speaks from the position of a critical insider. In her account, Queen Elizabeth II extended herself time and again to her new daughter-in-law, and was at times Diana's lone defender within the royal family, until Diana's self-absorption and cultivation of the media in her public relations war with her husband alienated her. Steward is unafraid to make judgments: when Charles asks Di, "Why can't you be more like Fergie? Why can't you be more jolly?" she deems it "not a kind question." She's also more then happy to detail royal failings (such as Charles's inability to satisfy his wife on their wedding night and later), but generally prefers an empathetic and kind view of her subjects. While Steward provides little new material here, her book is filled with the details and minutiae of private lives, which should keep royal watchers more than happy. 16 pages of color photos. Agent, Mike Shaw, Curtis Brown, Ltd. (Apr.)Forecast: Celebrations of the late princess have proven more popular than the latest crop of tell-alls, making the publisher's announced 40,000-copy first printing appear optimistic. Still, this measured look at court intrigue will do well if Steward's six-city author tour and TV satellite tour succeeds in reaching those interested in the most informed tattling on the royal family. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A surprisingly fresh addition to the mountain of biographies of the late Princess of Walesthis one focusing on her relations with the Queen. Seward, a longtime correspondent on matters royal and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine (and, as it happens, the last journalist to interview Di), has obvious sympathy for the Princess. But she has greater sympathy, it would seem, for the long-suffering Queen Elizabeth II, who came to power in the shadow of scandal, worked for decades to give England a ruler of whom it could be proudor, at least, not ashamedand then had to endure the public posturings of her eldest son's petulant, bulimic, and generally uncooperative bride. (To her credit, as the author ably demonstrates, Di was nowhere near as awful as Fergie, who fueled Fleet Street tabloids with her self-serving antics.) Contending with Di (who emerges in these pages as both a confused, troubled soul and an extremely shrewd, self-aware schemer) could not have been very pleasant for the Queen, who was sometimes distant but even shrewder than her daughter-in-law (and, to gauge by Seward's account, a font of patience). Even so, the Queen seems to have acquired a little more humanity in grappling with Di's all-too-human troubles, excusing her indiscretions, making allowance for her illness, overlooking her outbursts, taking note of her grievances, ignoring the way she tried to claim center stage, and their 15-year-long association had tangible effects on the way the royal family conducts itself today (its budget downsized, for example, by a populist government that took Di's side in the long struggle for power that only ended with her death in 1997). A well-written, guilt-free treat for devoted royal family-watcherswhose numbers are, of course, legion. First printing of 40,000; author tour; TV satellite tour
Booklist Review
Seward, editor of Majesty magazine and an esteemed royalty watcher, presents an understanding dual portrait of the present British sovereign and the glamorous but troubled woman who, until her violent and untimely death, was the wife of the heir to the throne. The author naturally looks into the lives of the queen and the late princess of Wales before they came into close contact with one another, but the primary focus of the book is the nature of the relationship between the two women as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Seward displays no rancor toward anyone involved in this complicated story, but neither does she whitewash what happened or attempt to downplay anyone's involvement in the headline-grabbing events. Diana was unhappy in her marriage very early on, which she did not hesitate to share with the queen. And, for her part, Her Majesty, according to Seward, was far more sympathetic to her daughter-in-law's problems than generally has been presumed. Amid a sea of salacious books about Diana and the royal family, this one is most credible. --Brad Hooper
Table of Contents
| List of Illustrations | p. vi |
| Acknowledgements | p. vii |
| Prelude - Kensington | p. 1 |
| 1 Calling Deeside | p. 11 |
| 2 First Impressions | p. 34 |
| 3 From Balmoral to Sandringham | p. 58 |
| 4 Childhood Comparisons | p. 71 |
| 5 Riding for a Fall | p. 85 |
| 6 Adulation | p. 105 |
| 7 Double Standards | p. 130 |
| 8 Cries for Help | p. 150 |
| 9 Annus Horribilis | p. 172 |
| 10 Separation | p. 205 |
| 11 Withdrawal | p. 231 |
| 12 Buckingham Palace | p. 244 |
| Postscript | p. 249 |
| Bibliography | p. 251 |
| Index | p. 253 |