Princess Diana’s Involvement In Andrew Morton’s Biography Was Extensive

The Crown season 5 covers a turbulent time for the royal family, spanning everything from the devastating fire at Windsor to Princess Diana and Prince Charles’s separation in 1992. The cracks of their marriage began to show in earnest in June of that year (though we now know had been forming for years prior) but it could be argued that Andrew Morton’s biography, Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words, was the true catalyst. An “overnight bestseller,” Morton’s biography shook the foundations of the royal family. The royal correspondent, who worked for the now defunct newspaper News Of The World as well as the Daily Mail, cited sources close to Diana, and the Princess publicly denied having anything to do with it. But, as S5 of The Crown depicts, the late Princess of Wales actually played a major role in the book. But just how involved was Princess Diana in Morton’s book and how accurate is The Crown?

How Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words Came To Be

Princess Diana reportedly wanted to tell her story, but didn’t want to do so through a memoir due to the ramifications and controls Buckingham Palace would presumably have. However, she was aware of Morton and his work, and discovered he was preparing to write a biography of her. The New York Times reports that he wasn’t “affiliated with a newspaper, television station, or radio station” at the time. Diana contacted Morton through a mutual friend, Dr James Colthurst, to work on what would later become Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words. As accurately depicted in The Crown, Morton and Princess Diana never spoke directly. Instead, she would invite Colhurst for “lunches” at Kensington Palace so they could talk, and he could record their conversations. The tapes would then make their way to Morton. This was arguably a loophole which meant Diana could honestly say she never spoke to or met with Morton if asked by the royal family or the media.

So Just How Involved Was Princess Diana In Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words?

As the title of the tome suggests, very. The conversations recorded and directed by Colthurst in 1991 did directly address questions Morton provided for the Princess of Wales. Speaking to NBC, Colthurst said it wasn’t long before she “took over” though. “She snatched the questions away from me and then clipped the microphone on to herself and the tape recorder was on and away she went.”

In a new forward for the book published in 1998, Morton publicly revealed Diana’s full cooperation in making the book, explaining that her friends covered for her “so that Buckingham Palace could not accuse her of having supplied damaging information.” The royal biographer decided to make her involvement known at that time “as a matter of historical record,” as he told The Times.

Morton further elaborated on Diana’s involvement, revealing that she provided photographs and captions, proofread the manuscript, provided revisions “in her own handwriting,” and “personally approved every page of the book and selected the cover photo.”

Why Did Princes Diana Do It?

Of course, we will never know directly from the late Princess why she did it or what motivated her decision. However, her friends and collaborators have spoken about the subject before. Colthurst said the late Princess Diana wanted to share her story due to the “frustration” and “anger” she felt against Charles for his brazen affair with Camilla. “I think it also covered an aspect that she talked about very often, of not feeling very well understood,” Diana’s friend told NBC. “And I think she wanted to paint the full picture of sorts of her roots right through to the present day as it was then, of who she was as a person. And I think a lot of people could identify with that.”

Speaking to the Independent, Morton said that Princess Diana “wanted to get her retaliation in first,” before Prince Charles could say anything about the affair. The Prince of Wales would later tell his side of the story in 1994, speaking to Jonathan Dimbleby in an ITV documentary.

What Happened After The Biography Was Published?

Princess Diana was reportedly “very shaken” by the adverse reaction of the British media to Morton’s book, though she she soon found comfort in the “supportive letters” sent to her following its release. “I think she realised that kind of a movement had begun,” Colthurst told NBC. “And I think she found that quite heartening.” He also said that she had no regrets about sharing her story through Morton. “I think she was a bit startled those first [few] days. But because she felt she was being attacked somewhat unfairly for stating the truth,” Colthurst explained. “Of course, at that stage also, it wasn’t known the extent to which she had, you know, created the book.”