Andrew Morton, Famed Princess Diana Biographer, Comments On Verdict
As we posted yesterday, a decade has passed since the death of one of the most beloved and revered figures in history, Princess Diana.
In his inimitable way, when I pressed Mr. Morton for a comment on the official verdict of Princess Diana, he was blunt and without ambiguity:
“The most expensive statement of the blindingly obvious in British history. It has taken 10 years to come to the same conclusion as most right thinking people came to in 10 minutes.”
Morton, who in the year’s since his controversial book on the Princess was first published (1992), has become an authority on the Royals. Based on the time I spent with the author, I suspect Morton felt very sympathetic towards Diana’s pain and heartache. Not only did she suffer within a loveless marriage by a husband who did very little to hide his affair with a much older (and outwardly less “attractive”) Camilla Parker Bowles (also married), but she was forced to endure much of this in silence out of a sense of duty to her position within the Royal family.
Here’s is what Diana said in a BBC interview regarding Morton’s biography on her:
QUESTION: The Queen described 1992 as her `annus horribilis’, and it was in that year that Andrew Morton’s book about you was published. Did you ever meet Andrew Morton or personally help him with the book?
DIANA: I never met him, no.QUESTION: Did you ever personally assist him with the writing of his book?
DIANA: A lot of people saw the distress that my life was in, and they felt it was a supportive thing to help in the way that they did.QUESTION: Did you allow your friends, your close friends, to speak to Andrew Morton?
DIANA: Yes, I did. Yes, I did.QUESTION: Why?
DIANA: I was at the end of my tether. I was desperate. I think I was so fed up with being seen as someone who was a basket-case, because I am a very strong person and I know that causes complications in the system that I live in.QUESTION: How would a book change that?
DIANA: I don’t know. Maybe people have a better understanding, maybe there’s a lot of women out there who suffer on the same level but in a different environment, who are unable to stand up for themselves because their self-esteem is cut into two. I don’t know.QUESTION: What effect do you think the book had on your husband and the Royal Family?
DIANA: I think they were shocked and horrified and very disappointed.QUESTION: Can you understand why?
DIANA: I think Mr Dimbleby’s book was a shock to a lot of people and disappointment as well.QUESTION: What effect did Andrew Morton’s book have on your relationship with the Prince of Wales?
DIANA: Well, what had been hidden – or rather what we thought had been hidden – then became out in the open and was spoken about on a daily basis, and the pressure was for us to sort ourselves out in some way. Were we going to stay together or were we going to separate? And the word separation and divorce kept coming up in the media on a daily basis.QUESTION: What happened after the book was published?
DIANA: Well, we struggled along. We did our engagements together. And in our private life it was obviously turbulent.QUESTION: Did things come to a head?
DIANA: Yes, slowly, yes. My husband and I, we discussed it very calmly.We could see what the public were requiring. They wanted clarity of a situation that was obviously becoming intolerable.QUESTION: So what happened?
DIANA: So we got the lawyers together, we discussed separation – obviously there were a lot of people to discuss it with: the Prime Minister, Her Majesty – and then it moved itself, so to speak.QUESTION: By the December of that year, as you say, you’d agreed to a legal separation. What were your feelings at the time?
DIANA: Deep, deep, profound sadness. Because we had struggled to keep it going, but obviously we’d both run out of steam. And in a way I suppose it could have been a relief for us both that we’d finally made our minds up. But my husband asked for the separation and I supported it.QUESTION: It was not your idea?
DIANA: No. Not at all. I come from a divorced background, and I didn’t want to go into that one again.
At the time of this interview, these revelations were shocking to the British public, and the world at large who had become fascinated with this very public betrayal. The world watched through the British tabloid lens Charles and Diana’s whirlwind courtship, the lavish wedding, the development of Diana’s own grace and poise under intense public scrutiny (especially the ruthless British press), and to see this crisp and well-controlled veneer crumble, was both difficult to watch and hard to turn away.
Morton for his part, never shied away from the controversy and refused to back down from the claims in his book, which for the most part, turned out to be painfully true and uncannily insightful. In many ways, Diana was set free by Morton’s book, and this must be a source of comfort for the man who many have demonized for what they consider inappropriate prying into famous people’s lives.
Oddly enough, for all the complaints in the press about revealing the famous’ personal lives, Morton’s books continue to be best-sellers, so clearly, the consumptive masses are in his favor. Whether it be a beguiling Princess, or Hollywood’s top-gun, the private lives of the famous will always be a source of interest.
Pink Stripe WordPress Theme Designed by Joni Mueller &
I can not believe that! I think Charles is stupid not to fully love Diana. He was always hurting her & not giving her happiness that she deserved. If he didnt love her, why bother marrying her!?!? Diana is such an amazing princess. I think I can imagine how Diana felt when Charles had an affair with Camilla through a movie: dealstudio.com/searchdeals.php?deal_id=95809&ru=279 , They played their cheating game behind Diana’s back. Look how insecure prince charles look with the public around!
Comment by Jill — April 10, 2008 @ 2:33 am