As I’m sure many people have experienced, I felt an inexplicable interest in Princess Diana from an early age. At that time it was merely that, and interest, I liked to look at her on the decorative plates my nanny had hanging on her wall. But the more I learned about her the more her life intrigued me. 

As much as I feel drawn to Lady Di, I’ve never felt an intense adoration of her- on the contrary I’ve often found myself being critical of some of her attitudes or behaviors. Nonetheless, this is what makes her so interesting. That she is so human. I definitely felt that while reading this book. 

I enjoyed most when Morten would add a little of his own perception of the princess. 

This is essentially her autobiography and so the book felt very weighted on the things that she wanted people to focus on, especially the sections that were transcripts of her interviews. In those sections she often spoke of her own character, and her perception of herself felt very stunted and self protective. This isn't surprising, given the attacks she faced on a daily basis, but I would have loved to have seen more self reflection on her part as opposed to feeling like she was on the defensive. 

The book also went on and on about her calling as a humanitarian, to the point where it felt exhausting at times. I would have been more interested in learning details about her charity work than to keep hearing about how important it was to her/what a great job she did. For example, the story of her friend dying of AIDS and the impact that had on her worldview was extremely interesting. 

Upon reflecting on Diana and the writing of this book Morten described her as “a confusing web of contradictions.” I thought this was very apt and is perhaps the reason who people are so interested in her to this day and also why people are still struggling to understand her. The need to untangle that web. 

If I was hoping for this book to do this, it didn't. But I still enjoyed it. 

I’ve liked some of the documentaries I’ve seen about Princess Diana more, but again, this is essentially her autobiography and it read this that level of bias.