Stop criticising Di, says author
2007-07-12 12:49
New York - An American author, who
has written three books about Princess Diana, has a message for
people who keep criticising the princess - leave her alone.
Royal watcher Christopher Andersen is one of a list of
writers who have released books about the princess ahead of the
10th anniversary of her death, with his title aimed at
Americans who "are still very much in love" with her.
He said his book After Diana: William, Harry, Charles, and
the Royal house of Windsor, sheds some light on questions
devoted royal fans want to know - how Prince Charles' felt
after her death, if Prince Harry was Charles' son, and why did
the princess predict her own death.
But Andersen said the main reason he wrote the book was to
come to her defence and reveal how her legacy is being carried
on by her sons.
"In the last few years there has been a lot of dissing of
Diana by her former 'so-called' friends that were portraying
her as this spoiled and neurotic woman," he told Reuters.
"I thought that was terribly unfair and someone had to come
to her defence."
Fascination with the royal family
It's estimated that about 14 new books about Princess
Diana, who was killed in a high-speed car crash in a Paris
tunnel on August 31 1997, are to be published this year.
The leader of the pack is The Diana Chronicles by former
Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown which is currently top of The New
York Times non-fiction, best-seller list. Andersen's book is
running at No 25.
The Book of the Month Club has chosen both Brown and
Andersen's books to offer its members.
Andersen, 58, a former editor at People magazine, says
Americans remain fascinated with the royal family and Diana in
particular - enough for him to write a third book on the
princess after also writing The Day Diana Died and Diana's
Boys: William and Harry and the Mother They Loved.
"What's not to love? It's the royal family, the world's
longest running soap opera. There's sex, scandal, money, power,
intrigue, history. Everything you need for a good story. And
then you add somebody as singularly compelling as Diana."
'Jackie times 10'
He wrote three books about the Kennedy family before moving
onto what he calls "the real royals" and thinks Princess Diana
is "Jackie times 10."
"Jackie was the most famous woman in the world and
throughout the Kennedy tragedies, she maintained her mystique.
But when she died...she was out of the limelight," he said.
He said Princess Diana, however, was at her peak when she
died, having turned herself into a great humanitarian as she
was photographed cradling Aids babies and campaigning against
landmines.
"I think Diana decided she would really make her life count
for something," he said.
"I think Americans really admire her because she was not
only a strong woman, but one that connected with average
people."