Tina Brown's book The Diana Chronicles bares all
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Camilla Parker-Bowles
MJC4861 — 17 years ago(July 23, 2008 01:22 PM)
For anyone interested in why Diana married Charles even though she knew for the ten months of her 1980 courtship and 1981 engagement that the Prince had been in love with Camilla during that time, please pick up a copy of The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown, a socialite journalist who met Lady Diana Spencer when she was still an unknown teenager living in London.
This book confirms the many other biographies that claim that right from the get-go Diana was all over the Prince of Wales like a rash, not the other way around as Andrew Morton reported in D1c84iana: Her True Story. Her ladyship knew all about Camilla yet was still determined to marry the Prince anyway. Her royal marriage made her the most famous and beloved woman in the world. This was obviously not a package for a vulnerable, ambitious girl to turn down and she would have to have been dragged kicking and screaming from such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Diana wanted the marriage more than the hapless Prince of Wales, knew that she would outshine the rest of the blissfully ignorant Royal Family (especially Jug Ears) and expected him to adapt to the enormous hurdles and challenges that her celebrity wrought and make all the personal sacrifices she was unprepared to make herself.
I would have had an enormous amount of sympathy for the late Princess if in Diana: Her True Story she had mentioned details of her own affairs with James Hewitt, James Gilbey, and her working class (and married) bodyguard David Manakee, whom Diana fell in love with before her relationship with Hewitt. In his own biography Love and War, James Hewitt claimed that Diana and Manakee had consummated their affair long before she met Hewitt in 1986. In Anthony Holden's own 1998 biography of Prince Charles, he claims that Diana told him that Manakee was the great love of her life.
Yes, Charles was jealous of Diana's popularity but he no doubt had cause to believe that she married him for fame and fortune. No wonder he went back to Camilla. He was bashed continually in the media from the time of his 1984 architectural speech and ignored and booed by crowds everywhere they went. Everyone wanted to worship his wife's beauty. What man wouldn't crumble under such pressure, especially as his spouse could have as many men as she pleased without public censure?
I feel terrible that the beautiful Diana is dead and will never be Queen but that marriage never stood a chance from the beginning. Remember: Britain wanted a beautiful, virginal, pedigreed Princess of Wales, and Camilla only qualified on one count. She was neither beautiful nor virginal when the Prince of Wales met her. There were enormous pressures put on Charles to marry Diana and he caved in to make the press and the public happy. Look what he got in return: tabloid hate and ridicule, constant scandal, murder accusations, and the fear that his sons will endure the same horrid future.
Diana has also always been touted as the brilliant one, the communicator who made the Monarchy safe for public consumption, but I wonder how successful she would have been if she had looked like the ordinary Fergie. She was worshipped wherever she went, people hung on her every word, and women tourists in France even believed that she had healing powers. She is today worshipped in Britain as if she were God Almighty.
If she had lived, she would be looking up to fifty and forced to share the limelight with people far less worthy. Also, does anyone think that she would still be married to a Muslim playboy given our current world political crisis? Her early death was a blessing in many ways. It wiped away all of her sins and gave her permanent immortality. She will be a young and beautiful princess for all time.
Perhaps it would have been better if Charles had been allowed to marry Camilla to begin with. We would all have been spared the awful decline of the glorious House of Windsor and the putrid rise to power of the malevolent billionaire Rupert Murdoch, whose seventeen-year exploitation of Diana has made him the richest and most powerful media baron on earth, and Madonna never would have had to play second fiddle to the gorgeous Princess. Perhaps Diana would have then set her cap for Prince Andrew (in which case we would have been spared the unfortunate Fergie) but then again she would not have been so famous, worshipped, nor as beloved outside of Britain. All throughout her childhood, Diana claimed that she would one day marry Prince Andrew. At least this is what she was led to believe herself. Her family dynasty the Spencers are a very ambitious lot who think that they are more royal than the real Royals.
I realize that Camilla is not beautiful and does not live up to the image that we collectively want in a future sovereign. Yet this also why she might one day be the Queen of England and exactly why Diana is dead. True love conquers all; beauty is only skin deep. -
mhansen2 — 17 years ago(July 31, 2008 01:13 PM)
REF: Her ladyship knew all about Camilla yet was still determined to marry the Prince anyway.
ANS: Didnt Diana hope Prince Charles would discard his mistress after the wedding and become a faithful husband? Tina Brown says Diana considered calling the wedding off because of Camilla, but, was persuaded not to.
From page 162:
Well, bad luck, Duch, Diana's sister (for sure the salty Sarah) famously said when Diana confided her distress. Your face is on the tea towels so you're too late to chicken out.
This strikes me as a rather cavalier attitude for a 5b4loving sister. There was the Sarah-Charles angle, but, thats for another message board.
Was it realistic for Diana to think Charles would discard Camilla after taking his wedding vows? Was it realistic for Diana to believe what her husband-to-be was saying in front of God (and more importantly) his mother?
Charles Philip Arthur George. Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after Gods ordinance in the holiest state of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all other keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?
I will. (but not for long)
REF: Her royal marriage made her the most famous and beloved woman in the world.
ANS: But, is that what Diana wanted, or did she want to have children with a man who loved her and carry out her duties as Princess of Wales?
REF: Diana wanted the marriage more than the hapless Prince of Wales . . .
ANS: Diana had a crush on Prince Charles since she was thirteen and, when the possibility came, thought marrying him would solve her insecurity and self esteem problems. Prince Charles didnt want to marry anyone. He was happy with the status quo, the Alpha Bachelor, the center of attention with his married mistressand other lady friends.
REF: She knew that she would outshine the 5b4rest of the blissfully ignorant Royal Family (especially Jug Ears) and expected him to adapt to the enormous hurdles and challenges that her celebrity wrought and make all the personal sacrifices she was unprepared to make herself.
ANS: Did she know that beforehand, or realize later that was the reality because of press coverage? Did she really expect Charles to change? She was trying her best to adapt to the Windsor lifestyle. With her youth, beauty and charisma, how could she not outshine the rest of the Royal Family? GOOD GOD, LOOK AT THEM!
REF: I would have had an enormous amount of sympathy for the late Princess if in Diana: Her True Story she had mentioned details of her own affairs with James Hewitt, James Gilbey, and her working class (and married) bodyguard David Manakee, whom Diana fell in love with before her relationship with Hewitt.
ANS: Did she have a choice in doing the Morton book? Subsequent protection officers dismiss the rumors Diana and Mannakee were physical. By the way, his name was Barry, not David.
REF: In his own biography Love and War, James Hewitt claimed that Diana and Manakee had consummated their affair long before she met Hewitt in 1986.
ANS: Can you trust what Hewitt says? As I understand it, he wrote the book in the first place after being offered huge sums to do so. If he cared for Diana so, why did he go public with their priva111cte affair?
REF: Yes, Charles was jealous of Diana's popularity but he no doubt had cause to believe that she married him for fame and fortune.
ANS: But, did she?
REF: No wonder he went back to Camilla.
ANS: Because he always intended to. He lied about his wedding vows promising to be faithful IMHO.
REF: Everyone wanted to worship his wife's beauty. What man wouldn't crumble under such pressure, especially as his spouse could have as many men as she pleased without public censure?
ANS: . . . without public censure? I dont understand.
REF: . . . that marriage never stood a chance from the beginning. Remember: Britain wanted a beautiful, virginal, pedigreed Princess of Wales . . .
ANS: Is that what Britain wanted, or was that what the tradition-bound Windsor family wanted?
REF: There were enormous pressures put on Charles to marry Diana and he caved in to make the press and the public happy.
ANS: He caved in to follow his mothers orders and fulfill a sense of duty to the throne; while keeping his mistress. Diana was a broodmare.
REF: She (Diana) is today worshipped in Britain as if she were God Almighty.
ANS: She is? How so?
REF: Also, does anyone think that she would still be married to a Muslim playboy given our current world political crisis?
ANS: Most of her friends insist Diana was not going to marry Dodi and she certainly wasnt pregnant. Is there any proof to the contrary?
REF: Her early death was a blessing in many ways. It wiped away all of her sins and gave her permanent immortality. She will be a young and beautiful princess for all time.
ANS: Some may think so, but, I would prefer her alive, happy and aging gracefully with a man who loved