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krida's review
3.0
An insight into the last years of the beloved Princess Diana. This depicted Diana as human, a person with all their textures. Imperfect but deeply good.
kelsiedelane's review
4.0
In this book, Donald Spoto writes about the last year of Diana's life. She was a compassionate, charitable, empathetic, independent woman who truly seemed like a saint. She dedicated the majority of her time to spending time with the sick and misfortunate and fighting for noble causes across the globe.
It seems that what made Diana such a popular figure was how she responded to constant criticism and mistreatment from the press and members of her own family. It's hard to believe that those difficult years in the royal family didn't affect her, but her radiance seemed to outshine any of the negativity that had plagued her during that marriage.
The hardest thing to read about was how her sons were affected. The only thing her sons wanted was her happiness, and as soon as she found it, her life was suddenly taken from her. I can only imagine that for those boys, spending time with their mother was an escape from their father's side of the family, which was full of tension and overwhelming pressure. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a parent who gave an escape from the intensity of royal expectations.
My favorite quote from the book was, "Although Diana was not a conventionally religious person, Monckton insisted that she was indeed a profoundly spiritual one. On Diana's desk at Kensington Palace was a statue of Christ, and around it she had placed rosaries given to her by Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa. In Diana's own hand on the desk was the motto: 'You can't comfort the afflicted without afflicting the comfortable.'"
Diana seemed held by a higher standard and was focused on helping as many people as she could - a lifestyle that made the most comfortable people in the world uncomfortable.
It's easy to see why she was so loved and why her death was so devastating. I can't help but wonder if maybe that's why Prince Harry was drawn to Meghan Markle - another woman who believed that standing up for the overlooked was more important than royal propriety.
It seems that what made Diana such a popular figure was how she responded to constant criticism and mistreatment from the press and members of her own family. It's hard to believe that those difficult years in the royal family didn't affect her, but her radiance seemed to outshine any of the negativity that had plagued her during that marriage.
The hardest thing to read about was how her sons were affected. The only thing her sons wanted was her happiness, and as soon as she found it, her life was suddenly taken from her. I can only imagine that for those boys, spending time with their mother was an escape from their father's side of the family, which was full of tension and overwhelming pressure. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a parent who gave an escape from the intensity of royal expectations.
My favorite quote from the book was, "Although Diana was not a conventionally religious person, Monckton insisted that she was indeed a profoundly spiritual one. On Diana's desk at Kensington Palace was a statue of Christ, and around it she had placed rosaries given to her by Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa. In Diana's own hand on the desk was the motto: 'You can't comfort the afflicted without afflicting the comfortable.'"
Diana seemed held by a higher standard and was focused on helping as many people as she could - a lifestyle that made the most comfortable people in the world uncomfortable.
It's easy to see why she was so loved and why her death was so devastating. I can't help but wonder if maybe that's why Prince Harry was drawn to Meghan Markle - another woman who believed that standing up for the overlooked was more important than royal propriety.
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