This year has been strange - but perhaps the strangest thing of all is that I'm now completely obsessed withPrincess Diana{
I might have been an entertainment writer for the past four years but, if I'm being truthful, I’ve never really cared that much about the royal family. Sure, I’ve known which designers the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex are wearing and what the rest of the family are up to - but they were never people I was able to relate to or, subsequently, find that interesting.
That was until I watched the fourth series of The Crown. I hadn’t seen the other three seasons - and, admittedly, I only binge-watched the latest offering because I knew I’d be out of the conversation during Zoom work meetings if I didn’t. But, much to my surprise, I found myself actually enjoying it. Even the most staunch republican would struggle to say it isn't an entertaining show. The standout performance was, of course, newcomer Emma Corrin as a young and troubled Princess Diana, as her relationship to a cruel Prince Charles - also played brilliantly by Josh O’Connor - unravels.
Before watching, I certainly didn't think I'd want to find out more about the royal family. But within the space of two weeks, I've become some sort of Diana expert (please be aware I'm using the term very loosely). I've watched every documentary on Netflix and Googled countless questions to find out whether or not everything that happened in season four was true. While writing this piece, I have spoken on the radio about why The Crown's producers were right to focus on Diana’s story - even if that made Prince Charles, the future king, look bad.
I know I am not alone in my newfound interest: many of my Gen Z/millennial friends - although a few are too cool to admit it - feel the same. ‘Yes!’ one of my mates replied when I posted about how much I loved Diana on my Instagram story. ‘I never understood why middle aged women joined those Diana memorial pages on Facebook - but now I completely get it.’
Another of my best friends wants us all to dress up in differenticonic Diana looks for his 26th birthday. Luckily, there are many outfits to choose from. And her fashion is definitely something young people can look back at and admire. Diana was the most photographed woman in the world, but she didn’t look like a stuffy royal: she wore fun, bold prints, bright colours, and bloody massive sleeves. Most admirably, she wore clothes that were unashamedly sexy - her Christina Stambolian 1994 black off-the-shoulder number was so famous and daring it’s simply known as the ‘revenge dress’.
Obviously, admiration of Diana runs a lot deeper than the fact she was a beautiful woman with a stunning wardrobe. She related to people, and had incredible empathy - and, even if you're only watching old archive footage, that's incredibly obvious to see. 'She was the people's queen, no matter their race, sexuality, or gender,' Libby, 24, says.
Diana took her charity work seriously, working with people who struggled with issues like homelessness and addiction. She took her children - Princes William and Harry - to homeless shelters, showing them life isn't privileged for everyone. Carl, 24, says her work during the AIDs epidemic is one of the reasons he holds her in such high regard. ‘For LGBTQ+ people, I’d say her open support for us is/was crucial,’ he says, ‘especially hugging those suffering with HIV in the late '80s when the stigma surrounding it was at an all-time high.’ He adds that another reason she was so iconic was because, while wearing a disguise of male drag, she was smuggled into the Royal Vauxhall Tavern by Freddie Mercury. (Like, imagine any other royal doing that.)
But, without doubt, one of the reasons Diana continues to be so refreshing is her honesty. The royals are known for being reserved with a stiff upper lip - Diana was the opposite, even if she knew it was going to cause her trouble. The revelations in Andrew Morton’s book included that she had tried to take her own life and that she struggled with bulimia. In an amazing moment of bravery, she turned up to Camilla Parker-Bowles' sister's birthday party in 1989 - and told Camilla that she knew about her and Charles’ affair. In her (about to be investigated) Panorama interview, she spoke about her eating disorder, self-harm and postnatal depression - difficult topics to talk about in the public eye at any time, let alone in 1995. Now, it's truly remarkable to look back on.
There are worries people my age are taking the show to be fact - so much so the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has asked Netflix for a ‘health warning’ to be added before the show. (Ridiculous - we're not that stupid. It's a drama with actors.) While royal experts and historians might be squabbling over just how accurate this series of The Crown is, it’s undeniably made the royal family accessible and relevant for people who weren’t born, or are too young to remember, what happened in Diana’s life. With or without The Crown, you can make your own mind up about how you think the royal family treated the Princess of Wales - but one thing’s for certain: she was an icon. And that’s certainly something that wasn’t fiction.
READ MORE: The Best Books About The Royal Family, from Meghan and Harry to Princess Diana
Best Books About The Royal Family
1 of 15Meghan: A Hollywood Princess by Andrew Morton
The man who interviewed Diana so famously takes on Meghan, interviewing those closest to her to uncover the story of her childhood: growing up in The Valley in LA, studying at an all-girls Catholic school and her breakout into acting. The book also delves into her previous marriage and divorce in 2013, her struggles in Hollywood.
2 of 15The Final Curtsey A Royal Memoir by the Queen's Cousin by Margaret Rhodes
The intimate and revealing autobiography of Margaret Rhodes, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. This is as close to the royal family as you get. The publishers say: ' In the Second World War years she 'lodged' at Buckingham Palace while she worked for MI6. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. Three years later the King and Queen attended her own wedding; Princess Margaret was a bridesmaid. In 1990 she was appointed as a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen Mother, acting also as her companion, which she describes in touching detail. In the early months of 2002, she spent as much time as possible with her ailing aunt, and was at her bedside when she died at Easter that year. The next morning she went to Queen Elizabeth's bedroom to pray, and in farewell dropped her a final curtsey'
3 of 15Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand
Published in August 2020, this book is expected to be a 'bombshell' that it's been claimed will 'settle scores'. In its description, the publishers claim: 'Finding Freedom goes beyond the headlines to reveal unknown details of Harry and Meghan's life together, dispelling the many rumours and misconceptions that plague the couple on both sides of the pond. As members of the select group of reporters that cover the British Royal Family and their engagements, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand have witnessed the young couple's lives as few outsiders can.With unique access and written with the participation of those closest to the couple, Finding Freedom is an honest, up-close, and disarming portrait of a confident, influential, and forward-thinking couple who are unafraid to break with tradition, determined to create a new path away from the spotlight, and dedicated to building a humanitarian legacy that will make a profound difference in the world.'
4 of 15Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown
Definitely one for fans of The Crown and its various Princess Margarets… She made John Lennon blush and Marlon Brando clam up. She cold-shouldered Princess Diana and humiliated Elizabeth Taylor. Jack Nicholson offered her cocaine and Pablo Picasso lusted over her. To her friends Princess Margaret was witty and regal, to her enemies, she was rude and demanding. Ma'am Darling looks at her from many angles, creating a kaleidoscopic biography, and a witty meditation on fame and art, snobbery and deference, bohemia and high society.
5 of 15Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life by Sally Bedell Smith
This vivid, eye-opening biography--the product of four years of research and hundreds of interviews with palace officials, former girlfriends, spiritual gurus, and more – claims to be the first authoritative treatment of Charles's life that sheds light on the death of Diana, his marriage to Camilla, and his preparations to take the throne one day.
6 of 15The Mountbattens: Their Lives & Loves by Andrew Lownie
A well-researched deep-dive into the lives of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten, a couple who witnessed much of the 20th Century's history – including Royal landmarks – at first hand.
7 of 15Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner
The remarkable life of Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret who was also a Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation. Anne Glenconner reveals the real events behind The Crown as well as her own life of drama, tragedy and courage, with the wonderful wit and extraordinary resilience which define her.
8 of 15Our Rainbow Queen by Sali Hughes
A photographic journey through Queen Elizabeth II's ten decades of colour-blocked style. From the dusky pinks the Queen wore in girlhood all the way through to #NeonAt90, by way of that hat she wore on the announcement of Brexit, and not forgetting her trusty Launer handbag ever at her side, this must-have collection celebrates the iconic fashion statements of our longest reigning and most vibrant monarch.
9 of 15The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown
The original people's princess, Diana is the subject of many great books – this, by Tina Brown, is by someone who knew her personally and the world she inhabited.The book explores, 'Diana's sexually charged mother, her subtly scheming grandmother, the stepmother she hated but eventually came to understand, and a terrifying trio of in-laws and relations: Fergie, the force of nature whose life was full of its own unacknowledged pathos; Princess Margaret, the fading glamour girl; the implacable Queen Mother and more formidable than all of them, her mother-in-law, the Queen, whose admiration Diana sought till the day she died. Add Camilla Parker-Bowles, the ultimate "other woman" into this combustible mix, and it's no wonder that Diana felt the need to break out of her royal cage into celebrity culture, where she found her own power and used it to devastating effect.'So yes, quite a lot there.
10 of 15Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words by Andrew Morton
Formerly 'Her True Story' before it was revealed much of the book was based on taped interviews with Diana herself and the book was reissued, this is the often-quoted pretty much definitive story of Princess Diana.
11 of 15The Royals by Kitty Kelley
Originally not available in the UK for fear of legal repercussions, this book makes for a page-turner for Royal gossip fans. The description promises: 'Kitty Kelley has gone behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace to raise the curtain on the men and women who make up the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Princess Diana...here are the scandals of the last decades: the doomed marriages and the husbands, wives, lovers and children caught in their wake and damaged beyond repair. No one is spared.'
12 of 15The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe by Angela Kelly
Angela Kelly has worked with The Queen and walked the corridors of the Royal Household for twenty-five years, initially as Her Majesty's Senior Dresser and then latterly as Her Majesty's Personal Advisor, Curator, Wardrobe and In-house Designer. As the first person in history to hold this title, she shares a uniquely close working relationship with The Queen, with the monarch's position.
13 of 15Harry and Meghan: Life, Loss and Love by Katie Nicholl
It's another book about Harry and Meghan, but coming from Katie Nicholl - one of the best authorities on the royal family - you know that it's good. This book details their romance right up until the royal wedding.
14 of 15Meghan Misunderstood by Sean Smith
The latest biography on Meghan Markle to hit our shelves (from November 12), the description says Sean Smith 'pulls no punches as he reveals the remarkable and powerful story of this self-made, intelligent American woman with a strong social conscience who has made such an impact on our lives.'
15 of 15Prince Philip Revealed: A Man Of His Century
Royal expert Ingrid Seward presents an incredibly in-depth exploration of the man who has stood by the Queen's side for decades. The perfect accompaniment to his forthcoming centenary celebrations next year.
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