Diana's Boys: William and Harry and the Mother They Loved

by Christopher Andersen

Biography- Royal Family interest. The Sons of Princess Diana; Harry and William.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Royalty, History, British Literature

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Christopher Peter Andersen is an American journalist and the author of 32 books, including many bestsellers. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Andersen joined the staff of Time Magazine as a contributing editor in 1969. From 1974 to 1986 Andersen was senior editor of Time Incorporated's People Magazine. He has also written for a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Life, and Vanity Fair.

While his early nonfiction books veered from psychology (The Name Game) to true crime (The Serpent's Tooth) to art collecting ('The Best of Everything', with former Sotheby's chairman John Marion), he is best known for his controversial biographies. Between 1991 and 2011, he published 14 New York Times bestselling biographies. Andersen wrote Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones in July 2012. The book quickly became Andersen's 15th New York Times bestseller.

Reviews

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have grown inordinately fond of Christopher Andersen's prose lately. Yes, there are times when he falls into overusing the same phrase on multiple occasions (and it's usually something elegant that you just know he's very proud of, like "those legendary playing fields of Eton," or something like that), or when he refers to the same person in three or more different ways on the same page (as in "Diana," "Mummy," and "the Princess of Wales"; or "Elizabeth," "Granny," "Her Majesty," and "the Queen"). But all the same, there's something endlessly appealing about his writing, and it imbibes the people in his book with energy and life.

Not, of course, that Diana's boys need any help on that front. Andersen's subjects are grateful ones: they're easy, joyful, emotional, querulous, loving, difficult, triumphant, and, above all, profoundly human. The boys (William and Harry, btw, in case you've been living under a rock and don't know) manage to crash right through the facade that most of England's rulers have attempted - successfully, for the most part - to uphold: that to be royal is to be perfect. The two exude such warmth that Andersen's unspoken argument throughout makes sense: that they are also following in their mother's footsteps in dispelling the notion that to be royal is to be detached, emotionless, and cold.

And throughout, the pervasive question: are Princes William and Harry more Windsor, or more Spencer? You be the judge.

What is clear, as much as Andersen presents the lives of William and Harry, is that he's not wrong in titling the book Diana's Boys. He evidently enjoys writing about the late Princess, so much so that he actually cuts and pastes multiple (read: scores of) passages from his previous book on Diana - so, for readers of The Day Diana Died, it is all a bit familiar already (which makes the final few chapters, those post-1997, particularly interesting to read). He seems to be more comfortable writing about when she was still alive, and that makes the transition from her relationship with her boys in life to their lives after her death not entirely smooth, especially since the book opens with Diana's death and funeral.

Which makes for a ridiculously heartbreaking opening. As a result, there's an underlying tone of tragedy throughout the book, like happiness and sorrow are two edges of the same sword. And I didn't realise it would be so heart-wrenching, which was a mistake on my part. Because it was: it was heart-wrenching. It made me ache, in so many ways.

But there were also passages that warmed my heart (apparently my heart is very involved when I am reading). Like, this passage, describing a trip that Harry took with his father, Prince Charles, to Africa eight weeks after Diana's death:

Harry mastered the Zulu handshake - grasp the thumb and wrist and shake vigorously - and laughed when his father picked up a Zulu shield and club and waved them in the air like a warrior....Charles could not disguise his sheer joy at having Harry with him.

Or, during the princes' first trip to Canada:

A defining moment came when the boys and their father were presented with the red-and-white jackets and caps of Canada's Olympic team. Without hesitating, William whipped off his suit coat, slipped into the jacket, and put the cap on backward. Then he did a seamless break-dancer's roll of the shoulder and wrist and struck a rap star pose. The reaction from the crowd was deafening. "It was a totally spontaneous moment that surprised everybody," said a reporter in the crowd. "He reminded everybody of the early Diana - shy and reticent at first, but then without warning able to make the crowd-pleasing gesture."

Or, all the times that the Spice Girls were mentioned - not, let me assure you, because I'm such a fan, but because it was so humanisingly cute. Here's one:

Then Harry met up with Papa in Johannesburg, where they attended a Spice Girls concert. After the show Charles and Harry, dressed in a purple polka-dot tie and navy blue suit, went backstage to have their pictures taken with the girls. While Papa looked on, members of the group sidled up to his blushing son and bussed him on the cheek. "My brother," said a beaming Harry, "will be very jealous when he sees this."

How much would you love to see those pictures? If only to gawk at Harry's outfit.

And, finally, this moment. Given his current status (married - to the woman I consider the most beautiful in the world, People Magazine be damned - with a baby on the way), this quote from William seems especially poignant:

"People should never go into it [marriage]," he mused, "unless they are absolutely sure they've found the one for them. And they should never think about having children unless they are certain of this. Far too many people are parents who should never have gotten married in the fist place, you know."

It's a good read. Diana's boys are beautiful, and this book is necessarily wonderful. And although I could still express disappointment, as I have in the past, that Harry is being treated as "the spare" even by biographers and is, as a result, all too often passed over in favour of his older brother (it was always, even here: "it quickly became apparent that both boys - but William in particular..."; or "...she loved that about [Harry], but Diana was always closer to William...") - which, in its turn, also breaks my heart because I'm sensitive about these things - I won't.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually lstened to this on my way to a conference. Overall, it was an enjoyable book. I think there are many things that have come out since the writing of this that make it a bit humorous especially with Wills now a husband and father. I also appreciated seeing the more human side of Charles. Her death was a tragedy. She was the mother to two boys that she loved very much, and tried to raise them to be good princes and kings.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! great story!! I love princess Diana!!

[Doreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio

[Lisa Valeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of my love of anything Royal, I avoid most books as they tend to be over-the-top and self indulgent. This was a refreshing change as the author, when leaning dangerously to one side of the fence, always managed to tip the scales back to neutral with an even hand of praising and admonishing both parents equally in the boys' upbringing. I was also very pleased that even with the advantage of hindsight, I was to still able to learn new details about my favorite family.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really a well written and amazing book. The thing that struck me most was that it seemed to be honestly telling the story of Lady Di and her boys the good, the bad and the ugly. It was compelling though sad. For me I couldn't bear to think how many lives got ruined because of an old custom that you couldn't marry a divorcee. If the Queen's uncle had been able to marry his true love and keep the throne history would have changed forever and Charles would have never been forced to marry a woman just to bear him children but he would have been free to marry the woman he truly loved. Another thing that struck me was how harsh the Queen was not allowing Di's family to have contact with the boys not even Di's mother and then to secretly start keeping away Di's friends who were told the boys weren't home or not available. Plus that no one thought that these two young boys might benefit from having a grief therapist talk to them. To my mind no wonder they acted out or drank to much. A well written book that caused me to think a lot.

[Claire Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this book. I loved Princess Diana and always will. My only "issues" about this book is that the boys didn't understand why the public wanted a display of grief. If my Mum was famous, which she isn't, I wouldn't mind a public display of grief. Diana was not just a mother, she was a world-renowned public figure. Of course people wanted public displays of grief. I find it heartbreaking that the boys had to be sequestered at Balmoral instead of coming back to London to join in the public grief. Because, I repeat, Diana was not just a mother. She was also a world-renowned public figure! And I still cry when I read "throwback" info about the boys' reaction to the public grief. I hope my comments don't offend anyone but as an intense Diana fan I am heartbroken by people saying that the public grief was excessive. I think the public grief was perfect the way it was.

[Chubsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually take so much time reading a book - might take a day to read a chapter. When I do read, I only read when I feel I want to. However, it's different for this book. I look forward to reading it after a day's work. I read two chapters quickly before I go to sleep. I like how Andersen's writing flows. As English is not my primary language, his vocabulary is easy to understand so I don't take too long like usual. I thought I'm going to regret buying this book which I bought cheap in a used bookstore here in my Asian country. It's rare to find books like this, and am glad this didn't disappoint me.

[Paulette · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the Queen's death, this book popped up on my library app, and I got the audiobook and listened to it in short order. I am pretty sure that I have read it before around the time that it came out. It was a short book that basically tells of the relationship between the princes and their mother and their reaction to her death, funeral and their father's relationship with Camilla, and how they reacted to her when she openly came into the picture. It's simply written with few details, but I enjoyed hearing about the relationship that they had not only with their mother, but also between themselves.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love British Royalty. I can’t get enough. I am one of those people that cause the problem because I love to read the latest scandals. It fascinates me. I have been on a Prince Harry kick lately (I think he is amazing!) and so when I found this book on my mom’s kindle while looking for something to read, I picked it up

It was a quick read. I already knew a lot of the stuff in it. But I still enjoyed it. And I still can’t get enough of the House of Windsor. I think I will go watch The Crown now!

[Gina Torn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I could not stop listening. It definitely changed my opinion a little bit on the late Her Majesty but 100% cemented my opinion of King Charles and his wife. Princess Diana was a true gem, she may not have been perfect but she deserved better in life. She tried so hard to better the world. I’m team William and he is a fine example that shows his mother’s kindness, maturity and he’s raising his family the way the late Princess wanted.

[Debi Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have now read several biographies by Christopher Andersen. I find them well written & seem to be well researched. This book was written only four years after Diana's death, so it is interesting to relive the tenor of those times. Considering how well (for the most part) Diana's boys have done since, this book shows her influence on them & how they have become the men they are today.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a biography and explores the relationship between Princess Diana and her sons, how she influenced them and the changes in their lives since her death. It was an enjoyable read and I do like the way this author writes his biographies- his writing just flows. In parts humorous, in parts sad you can feel the love between Diana and her sons.

[Deb Stratas · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a lot of repetition here of the same old facts about Diana's background, childhood, and troubled marriage. Once it dips into Diana's role as a Mum, it gets more interesting. The author, Christopher Andersen also wrote The Day Diana Died.

[Megan Wilhoit · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really interesting reading into how William and Harry were raised and see all the different things they had to accomplish. I feel like from such a young age, William really had to grow up and be there for his mom on a very emotional and intelligent level.

[Lyndi McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting facts about the lives of the young princes.

[Rene · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those books that relies on rehashed quotes and anecdotes from secondhand sources, never original reporting.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish; I did not like it. First part just repeated much of the book about Diane's death.

[Regina M. Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diana's Boys

This book was a very interesting story. It was hard to read without getting emotional with what they all went through. I would recommend this to everyone.

[sheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting history about Diana and her boys related to Monarchy.

[Yvonne Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Tim Wester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned quite a few new things about the family. They never cease to inspire eyerolls.

[Carrie Lord · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the greatest of titles for this book. Book is more about Diana and William than it is about both of her sons. I usually really like Christopher Andersen's books but this book was just so so.

[Melissa Coffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Short and sweet! Lots of information on Will and Harry and their relationship with their beautiful Mother.

[Marie Buccellato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

[Robin Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, she is an amazingly kind woman.

[Sybil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had no idea how hard life was for Prince William and Prince Harry growing up in a broken home. When the parents don't get along or are hateful to each other, they have no clue how much it affects the children. I wish Diana had lived long enough to be happy and see her boys as adults.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

They married when she was too young and sheltered and he had a mistress he had no intention of leaving. The Queen prevented him from marrying her and the Queen continues to control much, though not all, of the lives of the Windsor family. She revolted and was cast aside completely but no one could prevent the influence she had over her sons, that is, until she died. A sad story but uplifting, too, though she was very young and conflicted, the love she bore her boys was strong. Still, her use of William as her confidante and advisor was a bit much. An interesting read that was written with respect toward all involved and without a touch of gossipy innuendo and meanness.

[Becky]

No rating.
I do not rate biographical/autobiographical works as I am not rating the subject's life or judging how it was intended to be perceived.
This book is of course a little dated, but is nonetheless well written.
As with countless books on the British Royal Family, it is impossible to ascertain what was actually said or what actually occurred. It is possible to get accounts but when I read them, I take them with a grain of salt and would advise readers to do the same.
I enjoyed that the book focused on Princes William and Harry as well as their relationships with their parents.
In my opinion, it would only be a worthwhile read if you want an older account of the Princes at a young age.