Call Me Diana: The Princess of Wales on Herself

by Nigel Cawthorne

'I no longer want to live someone else's idea of who and what I should be. I'm going to be me.''I just absolutely thought I was the luckiest girl in the world.'Diana Spencer's engagement to Prince Charles, announced in 1981, first cast the spotlight on the young girl who was to become one of the most intriguing and influential royals in modern history — despite deep and exasperated resistance in traditional royal circles, not least from some of her in-laws.Until her tragic death in 1997 at the age of 36, Diana frequently gave interviews and shared her thoughts with many people. In this fresh portrait of Diana on her own life, Nigel Cawthorne gathers her most salient words from the very first till the very last - some known, some forgotten. They show a remarkable woman whose struggles, passion and compassion, continue to inspire two decades later.

165 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2017

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".

One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.

Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is basically a collection of quotes held together by extremely ungrammatical and often mis-spelt links. There is lots of repetition and one can't help thinking that this is just a case of someone taking a few well publicized quotes, listing them repeatedly under different headings and then charging the public for the dubious pleasure of reading them.

[Nikita · Rating 2 out of 5]

The quotes are disjointed and Diana comes across as highly melodramatic - though that may just be from the viewpoint of someone who was too young to feel the hero-worship that most of the country felt around the time of her death. Seems to me the whole situation was extremely mismanaged (by basically everyone!) and a rather ill woman took on a role she absolutely couldn't cope with.

As far as this particular book goes, it tries to tell a story but fails. It's mostly a bunch of quotes in almost a random order, and if you knew nothing about Diana to start with, it would be extremely difficult to follow.

[Pamela Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

ALL ABOUT DIANA IN PRIVATE

ABOUT 150 PGS
FROM EARLY YEARS WITH PRINCE CHARLES TO BEING ON HER ON HER OWN WITH HER CHILDREN GIVES INFORMATION ABOUT GIVING OUT SPECIAL CARDS AND LETTERS OUT TO HOMELESS SHE SO CARE ABOUT TO TALKING TO A LISTERS LIKE CINDY CRAWFORD AND ELTON JOHN TO HER BOY FRIENDS SHE HAD BEFORE SHE DIED!?!
VERY FAST QUICK EASY READ BUT SPACED BETWEEN LINES AND PARAGRAPHS I DIDN'T LIKE BUT NOT A BAD READ IF YOU LIKE READING ABOUT THE RICH AND FAMOUS LADY D HERSELF

[April Bacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book!

Beautiful portrayal of a beautiful angel princess. I love the author's use of Dianna's own words. Princess Dianna left her loving touch on so very many people.

[Em Ferguson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is essentially a book of quotes made my Diana, there is a lot of repetition. And poorly written with lots grammar and spelling errors. Not worth the time it takes to read it to be honest.