NORMAL LIFE: Princess Diana, The Latest Book

I have just finished reading the latest book about the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Diana - The Life Of A Trouble Princess. Certainly, she was troubled. I have ready many books about the late Princess, but this book was written in an candid manner by an American who doesn't appear to have the emotional bias of British writer.

The story if written pretty much chronologically with Diana being the fourth - and last - sibling among the Spencer children. 'Considered unwanted from a very early age' since her brother Charles (now Earl Spencer) was born just before her and therefore no other heir to the family fortune was required. When her mother, Frances Spencer (later Shand-Kydd), left the family home amid an acrimonious divorce, Diana was just six years old. At this time, her father became emotionally withdrawn, leaving a young child without the love and attention she needed.

Later in life, her 'deep feelings of unworthiness' would lead to the onset of bulimia and persistent depression, resulting in numerous suicide attempts. Later, frequent colonic irrigation sessions and obsessive exercise would replace her bulimia and she would come to rely on 'alternative therapies', such as Energy Healing, Clairvoyancy and massage.

It is clear that the marriage of Diana and Prince Charles in 1981 was orchestrated, perhaps between the grandmothers, Lady Ruth Fermoy (from the Spencer side) and the late Queen Mother. When the Wales' marriage started to crack, 'Prince Charles abandoned her out of frustration and ignorance, not lack of concern' for he had tried on several occasion to get Diana to admit to her eating disorder and address her psychological issues.

Meanwhile, further perpetuating the myth of the fairytale princess, the British press continued to hound the young beauty. Admittedly, Diana courted - and even manipulated - the press to suit her needs. However, the press would 'build her up, then knock her down' repeatedly, denting an already sensitive ego. The press saw her crack up from time to time at close range, but chose to perpetuate the fairytale myth just to sell papers.

Over the years, having been unfairly untreated by the Establishment and the press, Diana cooperated - in secret - with Andrew Morton, a journalist, to tell her side of the story. The result was a book, Diana - Her True Story, a shocking expose on life inside the Royal family, Charles' adulterous marriage with Camilla Parker Bowles and the effect on the volatile princess.

As the heir to the throne, Prince Charles felt a need to retaliate, a need to put forth his side of the story. He commissioned Jonathon Dimbelby, a reknowned journalist, who wrote a book and produced an accompanying TV documentary in which Charles admitted adultery, but 'only when the marriage had irretrivably broken down'.

A subsequent interview on the BBC's Panorama programme featuring an interview of the Princess estranged her from the Royal Family even further with her claim that there were three people in the marriage and that she wanted to be a "Queen of people's hearts", signifying her shift in focus from Royalty to Celebrity. This would be Diana's downfall for, during the divorce, this would result in the removal of Her Royal Highness status since her behaviour was not deemed becoming of a Royal. In reality, it had very little impact due to Diana's natural wit, warmth, human spirit and generosity, characteristics seriously lacking within the Royal Family.

On a professional level, Diana lacked interest and self drive, not lasting very long at anything. She quit things quite easily, even therapy, claiming that nobody could help her if they hadn’t been through the same thing. Posthumously, it is believed that Diana played a part in legitimizing the use of psychotherapy among the upper classes who, until recently, showed little sympathy for emotional distress and considered therapy of any kind as self-indulgent whining. One reporter wrote: "Diana should not get help, she should just get over it!"

Clive James, an Australian TV presenter who was a good friend of Diana's, later referred to her as a 'fruitcake on the rampage' while, when Diana was in Angola driving a campaign to prevent the use of landmines in warzones, a government official branded her 'a loose cannon'. The government official’s slur came at a time when Diana was already in her latest relationship, with Dodi Fayed – instead of granting her the coverage that she deserved as she walked across active landmine fields, the press wanted to know all about Dodi. Her charity work, aimed at boosting her own self-esteem, wasn’t given the right coverage.

At the time, I personally thought that the relationship was orchestrated to annoy the Royal Family, especially as Mohammad Al Fayed, Dodi’s father, had been denied British citizenship. It turns out, however, that the relationship was just a bit of fun although it had all the makings of a potential marriage proposal, again orchestrated by the press. Basically, Dodi Fayed had lawsuits piling up all around him, which is something the Princess wouldn’t have tolerated for very long.

Diana harboured a ‘huge capacity for unhappiness’, with feelings of self-loathing, which she would address by constantly seeking approval; a standing ovation from two weeks before meant nothing Diana if the day's visit to a hospital wasn't considered a success.

Since her death, there has been debate that Diana suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder, signified by a disconnection from reality. Frequent pangs of loneliness, boredom and emptiness led to bulimic bingeing and purging, episodes of self-mutilation, suicide attempts and threats. Her inability to sustain close, mutually gratifying relationships while demanding complete loyalty alongside frantic efforts to avoid abandonment, and frequent mood swings apparently bear all the hallmarks of Borderline Personality Disorder

As I read this book, I felt somewhat guilty for by buying the book, I was contributing to very thing that appears to have killed her – publicity. The authors claims that everyone contributed to her downfall: the Royal Family who failed to understand her needs; Diana’s own family who buried their head in the sand, assuming the Royal Family would take of her; the press for continuously hounding her; and, at the end, people like you and I who actually enjoyed reading about her.

Like a celebrity, she was accessible, someone you could relate to, someone who always seemed to be there. That is why her death, and sudden disappearance from our lives, had such a big impact. She will always be remembered for her defiance – that is what won her a place in the heart of the people. Whatever Princess Diana suffered from, nobody can question her star status and mass appeal.

Ten years after her death, justice is still being sought for her death. The book explains how Dodi Foyed’s obsession with security (which left me wondering, who do you think you are?!) is what caused the couple to leave the Ritz Hotel in Paris on that fateful night, setting up a decoy in order to shake off the paparazzi. The author asks: why didn’t they stay at the hotel? Why did they need to leave? It seems that Diana will be as mysterious now as she was then, but I hope that the current inquet can shed some light on that tragic night, the night when England lost it's Queen of Hearts.