NEWSWEEK: Why did you write this one?
Sarah Bradford: I was asked to do it years ago, in 1996, and I thought, well this would be interesting. I’d done a book on George VI, the queen’s father, and then a book on the queen herself, and I thought that Diana’s life was an important episode in the history of the royal family.
I did it over the years, went backwards and forwards; it was quite a difficult book to do in the climate of England, so I would just try and interview some people and then retreat and then go back. I was very lucky to have interviews done while I was working on my book of the queen. Some of these people told me a lot of things that they certainly wouldn’t have told me now.
Like what?
Well, I can’t reveal [specifics] but [things like] what the queen’s attitude was towards Diana, other courtier’s attitudes.
There seem to be two camps about Diana: she was nutty or she was a victim. What’s your take?
I certainly think the Charles side, which was produced later, was totally unfair. It doesn’t tally with accounts of people who knew Diana growing up. It first surfaced when Jonathan Dimbleby’s book [“Prince of Wales: A Biography”] was being written. I think this borderline-personality disorder was pinned on Diana–then when Dimbleby or Charles thought it shouldn’t go in the book, it was then circulated to favorite journalists and biographers.
Was she a difficult person?
I think you’ve got to look back and start from the beginning and not look at the Diana who emerged after all the pressure she was under. Her marriage, her celebrity, that’s a different person. She did become devious and manipulative, but she had a battle on her hands. A battle for survival really.
What’s your take on Dodi Fayed?
I think that was a holiday romance. The sad thing about that is she actually didn’t have anywhere to go. I think Fayed’s invitation was the only one she got: a) because all of the country-house set was closed because of Charles, and b) because it’s not easy to have the princess, her children and what have you, you have to be a very rich person to do that.
What did the queen think of Diana?
I think the queen found it very difficult to understand Diana to start with. There’s a story in my book when the children’s nanny was sick and Diana looked after the children herself and the queen couldn’t understand this. You know, it’s a generation gap.
Have you seen the movie " The Queen “?
I have, I thought it was very good. I enjoyed it. On the whole I thought it was pretty fair.
Which members of the royal family do you think disliked Diana the most?
I think part of the disliking went on by courtiers who thought they were supporting the royal family but were actually doing it a lot of damage. I think the Queen Mother, who adored Charles, did not like Diana. She thought she was a liar and a tiresome girl and bad for her beloved grandson.
Why does Diana still fascinate us?
This is what I’ve been trying to work out in writing the book. I think part of it was that she had this enormous empathy with people that even seemed to translate through the camera. In Diana’s case, it was genuine compassionate empathy. I think it’s irresistible really, someone so beautiful and someone prepared to make a nuisance and take on the British establishment.
What do you think of Prince William?
I think Diana brought him up wonderfully. Charles deserves a lot of credit, because he certainly loves his children. But Diana concentrated on William with his future in mind and bringing up Harry to be a support for William. She thought her role was the Queen Mother of the 21st century.
What do you think of Harry’s antics?
Well, he’s only young. I think it’s rather nice, don’t you?
