Death of a Princess: The True Story Behind Diana's Tragic End

by Tom Sancton, Scott MacLeod

For the twentieth anniversary of Diana's death, a new, updated edition of the headline-grabbing New York Times bestseller that told the definitive story of how the Princess of Wales lost her life in a high-speed car accident in the heart of Paris on August 31, 1997.What really happened on that fateful summer night? Rumors still that Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed (son of wealthy Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al Fayed), were planning to marry and British intelligence was somehow involved in their deaths. Or, that the paparazzi, a second car, or Diana and Dodi's driver, may have been responsible.Written by Tom Sancton, Time's Paris bureau chief at the time, and Scott MacLeod, then the magazine's Middle East correspondent, Death of a Princess struck a chord in 1998 with its exhaustive account of what really happened in the months, days, hours, and minutes leading up to the fatal crash. The book remains a masterwork of strong, original reporting, firsthand interviews with key figures, and insider analysis of one of the twentieth century's most tragic and unforgettable events.

Genres: Nonfiction

363 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 11, 2017

Reviews

[Geoff Hunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

I remember when the news broke that the Princess had passed and this book is an amazing analysis of the days and weeks after

[Lee Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been going through all the back episodes of the You're Wrong About podcast, and their multi-part Diana series led me to buy this e-book. It could have been worse; they've done oodles of OJ episodes, and I've only been lightly tempted to find copies of Paula Barbieri's and Kato Kaelin's books, which may be the only two books on that case that I haven't read.

Anyway, I specially sought out this e-book, since it was supposed to be a newer, updated edition. It isn't really. The main body of the book is the same, which is immediate reportage of the accident and its aftermath. The "update" is pretty much just a reprint of a Vanity Fair article that I probably read when it came out, since I've subscribed to VF for years. So if you want to read this, find a copy for a dollar somewhere, and Google the article, and you'll save yourself the cost of a cup of coffee.

As for the book, it did give me what I was looking for, based on what YWA had enticed me with: very, very detailed retelling of the night of the crash, the investigation, Diana and Dodi's relationship prior to the crash, and some background on the driver, Henri Paul. There wasn't too much extraneous stuff, just a little on some of the reporters that I didn't really need, and I will admit my eyes glazed over by the final time I read the words "Fiat Uno" (56 times, the e-book tells me). I suppose we will never truly know what exactly happened in that Paris tunnel, but we know enough that it's never going to reach the Jon-Benet level of mystery. RIP

[Nancy Chiok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows what happened to Princess Diana. I picked this book because I wanted to know what Tom had picked up in which there are new openings that we are unaware off.

Well, there are some new happenings which are written and the usual situations in the broader picture. What is exciting, is that this book specifically mentioned the personalities of those who died like the body guards, and further mention of Dodi and Diana.

As I have a special liking to thrillers and mysteries, I read to see if there is a difference to what we have gathered from newspapers, magazines, and the internet.

[Heather G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long

For a short book, it was a struggle to finish. Lots of things were repeated and there were several tedious parts, but there was also interesting parts and it was very thorough.

[Theophilus]

I want to read

[Jim Swike]

Many books on Diana, this covered the immediate aftermath of the accident. Great book if you are interested in the topic. Enjoy!

[Deity World · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this day very well back in 1997. What a sad loss to the world after all she did. That accident should never have happened.