Your patrons have no doubt already heard about this one. The former private secretary to Diana, Princess of Wales, has written a tell-all book about the late princess because "neglecting the truth will profit only those who seek to gain, personally, financially, or constitutionally, from letting the weeds of misrepresentation slowly overgrow her memory." Buckingham Palace has objected, and Prince William chose his first face-to-face media interview to voice his own and his brother's feelings: "Harry and I are both quite upset about itAthat our mother's trust has been betrayed and even now she is still being exploited." Jephson portrays Diana as extremely volatile and desperate for approval from her husband and the queen, while Prince Charles is shown to delight in humiliating his wife and belittling her intelligence in front of stunned onlookers. The rest of the Royal Family is distant and uncaring. Despite the wealth of intimate details, some of which have been excerpted elsewhere, this is not a terribly interesting read. None of its main players, including the author, is shown to advantage. Purchase according to demandAwhich in my library has been rather small.AElizabeth Mellett, Brookline P.L., MA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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