Diana's Boys: William and Harry and the Mother They Loved

This book is just what I needed to catch up with the royal family, let's face it: they're interesting to watch! It was my beach book, and it was the best! Most of the info in it was new to me (since "The Day Diana Died")because I don't really seek out gossip from tabloids and TV, etc. But I think the author attributes his info to fairly reliable sources, witnesses to the events. I disagree with the "reviewer" from Harrison: the portrayal of Charles was very touching, I thought. It was evident that he could not have acted more warmly, given his up-bringing, until after the accident, when he really began displaying his affection to his sons. Of course, I read "The Day Diana Died", so I already had this impression of Charles. And call me simple, but I appreciated all the photos: a thoughtful touch that reminds us that these are real people!

Having read the "customer reviews" up to this point, I'm left with the impression that many of the customers don't understand the purpose of a biography. This new book about Diana and her sons is not only a good read for today, putting the past, the accident, the family relationships, and the present in some kind of order; but will also serve as an account of these times, a history of these important people. Some day, my grandchildren will have access to this book to understand what the contemporary perspective was. I hope Mr. Andersen writes many more such interesting biographies of the people of our very interesting times!

I was puzzled by one of the reviews of this book apparently written by someone who admits to having just thumbed through it, concluded that it contains "nothing new" and deemed it a "sad, little book." Another reviewer writes positively about the book and its subjects but trashes the author. I found the book well written, well reported by someone who is a seasoned journalist (Mr. Andersen's credentials are impeccable) and who seems to have great sympathy for William and Harry. I found nothing salacious in this book and no hint that Mr. Andersen was after "dirt" on two young men who haven't really had time in their short lives to provide royal watchers on either side of the Atlantic with the kind of dirt that makes headlines.All of that said I truly enjoyed "Diana's Boys" as an update on the lives of the two princes we all felt such sympathy for when Princess Diana was killed four years ago. "Diana's Boys" is also a touching tribute to Princess Diana's role as a mother. Although Mr. Andersen covers much familiar territory, he does so from a fresh perspective. I was entranced. And I read every word.

Diana's Boys, Andersen's recent bio of Diana and the fate, so far, of her sons Princes William and Harry, will make you first weep and then shudder. Aside from what appear to be the author's small errors (dates, names, both of little significance), this is a sad and sobering rehash of the death of Diana and the change from the luscious warmth of mother love to the rigid chill of the House of Windsor that these lads have experienced since that awful day in August of '97. One may find Diana to have been smothering, but we will never know how that would have turned out - the tendency was clearly there - although it is hard to overlove a child. It comes as no surprise that the atmosphere of the royal marriage put Harry and William in the same thankless boat as most children of acrimonious divorce. Picture it lived in the international spotlight. The insult to injury was the heartless chill they suddenly suffered at her death; something that will hopefully be remedied as they age and mature. Time, blessedly, does this as we have come to know. One has to wonder though. If this book is any indication - this was not the pleasantest family in which to grow up or face a mother's early, public death. There is even the ugly question of whether her death resulted in some small manner as a perverse form of schadenfreude - where the cause of the regal misery was suddenly gone along with the adored mother. It would not be the first time the baby had gone with the bath water and these boys, who had their share of choosing sides, suddenly would have to do so no longer. Children - even teenagers - often do welcome the quick fix. Diana comes across to us as a loving, yet histrionic and needy mother; Charles as a loving yet clueless and guilty "papa"; whipped by his own father relentlessly - a combination that rendered neither one capable of offering balance or joy on a routine basis to either child. Diana's excessive love overshadowed by Charles' guilt and the lack of role models for either one to emulate appears in vivid contrast to the photo ops in which both boys appeared with such happiness. Clearly both were gilded yo-yos but yo-yos nonetheless. Poor Harry seems a bit of a dim bulb - truly living up to his role as merely a spare and William, trained to be king, far too wise for his young years. One aches to imagine the depth of pain and sorrow, discouraged expression, in both their hearts as they have soldiered on with a life of predestined duties, without the softening touch of their mother's tenderness. Only time will tell if either will marry well, father well or fare well. William seems unlikely to reign until his late 40's - if at all and Harry may wind up in the unenviable position of the rest of the royal family - unless he is quite good at woodworking or military service. The next 30 years cannot be ones faced with unabated hope and ambition for two young men who have been robbed not only of their mother but of the right to grieve as much and

I just finished reading Diana's Boys. Christopher Andersen has painted a wonderful portrait of the Princes and their lives after their mother's death. I confess to both curiosity and fascination with the boys, and I was eager to learn about the way the two have grown since the tragic death of Princess Diana. Andersen has offered readers a glimpse at the way William and Harry dealt with a very personal tragedy in a very public way--a fact that is so often lost in the media frenzy that has surrounded them. Aside from that, he's presented an image of charismatic children who, despite growing up under the scrutiny of both the media and the royal family, have found a way to be charming and personable adolescents sure to become successful young men. This book, on top of The Day John Died and The Day Diana Died, leaves me only wondering what subject Christopher Andersen will tackle next.