I am not a royalist but neither am I 'pro-Diana' and whilst all of this business of her turbulent life with Prince Charles was going on, I really could not have cared less. When she died, it barely made a blip on my radar. Over the years, I heard the suggestions and theories about her death not being an accident but again, I wasn't all that interested, thinking that yes, it was a car accident. And then, just recently, I happened upon a controversial (ie banned from being screened just about anywhere) film about the incident which gave me pause for thought. Then I came across this book. I approached it with some healthy skepticism.Much of the book is about Diana's terrible marriage, her husbands infidelity from the get go, and her dalliances with other men. In the mix is also Princess Anne's extra marital affairs, the secret surveillance of the royal family, 'what the butler' type of anecdotes, and the Queen's attitude and reaction to her family's dysfunction. And lets not forget the Diana's less than supportive family.All of this is a backdrop to what happened on that fateful day, and is used by the author to establish motive as to why her royal inlaws or the Establishment would want her removed from the picture, so to speak.Actual pages dedicated to the actual event, the investigation, the outcome and the aftermath, were far fewer than what I was expecting from this book, which is a pity. It covered all the main points, but there was a lack of detail.Having now read the book I am still more or less sitting on the fence as to whether Diana's death was an accident or not, though am finding myself leaning a bit closer to 'not'.
Recently a documentary of Diana`s death called Unlawful Killing was filmed. It could only be shown in the UK after 87 cuts. It was a big hit at Cannes.At the Inquest - the longest and most expensive in british hisotry apparently - not a single Royal was called to give evidence. The court was also the royal court.Diana was clearly killed. Even if she was not pregnant - she could have become later on with Dodi. A muslim boy as the future step brother of the english monarch ? Shudder shudder !Diana was a flawed personality. But the way Charles and Camilla hunted her down from day one, and then ganged up on her is remarkable. And Charles is now married to that extraordinarily ugly woman - and she is even the new Duchess of Wales. Camilla is a well hated figure in the British public imagination - so Charles of course, married her. Quite understandable for a family who are actually German but call themselves English.
Do You like book The Murder Of Princess Diana (2004)?
The conclusion of this book is no surprise, you don't send streetwashers to clean an accident scene within a few hours unless a coverup is under way. If I was expecting to feel sorry for the Princess for her fate, I got a big surprise. Diana brought most of her troubles on herself, with extreme codependent behavior and thinking as well as the need to be right and seeking vengeance. She proved herself right and the Royals wrong - but she ended up dead right and the Royals may or may not have been proven wrong. In a way it is comforting to know that royalty does not exempt anyone from being human. One of Diana's big reasons for wanting revenge was having been stripped of her HRH title (Her Royal Highness) - such silliness was worth dying for. There is an ample supply of left-brained logical obsession with proof to the point of overkill, but that is to be expected.
—Dale Stonehouse
Will the truth ever come out?Noel Botham does an excellent job on providing sufficient evidence that would clearly seem to indicate the truth of the title, that Diana's death was no accident.However, there could be many counter arguments to prove that it definitely was an accident and some of that evidence is presented when the author gives the French officials' verdicts and evidence. But the overriding impression after finishing the book is that there were dark forces at work against Diana. It is a book that, once started, is difficult to put down.
—Gerry
This book goes along with everything I've said from the beginning. Good read.Back Cover Blurb:The death of Diana, Princess of Wales, sent shockwaves around the world. A nation was left in mourning, but soon feelings of suspicion surfaced: was her death all that the Establishment might wish us to believe? Now, after an exhaustive two-year probe, investigative writer and former journalist Noel Botham has dared to reveal what the people of Britain have always believed - that Diana's death was murder.
—Barbra
