Diana: In Her Own Words

Last updated

Diana: In Her Own Words is a television documentary that was broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2017. This film was produced by Kaboom Film and Television of the United Kingdom. [1] The film includes footage of the late Diana, Princess of Wales discussing aspects of her personal life, including her marriage to Prince Charles which was recorded during conversations she had with a voice coach in 1992 and 1993.

In July 2017, it emerged that Channel 4 planned to broadcast the documentary in the run up to the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana. [2] On 30 July, The Mail on Sunday reported that Diana's brother, the 9th Earl Spencer, had urged Channel 4 not to broadcast the tapes of his sister amid concerns it would cause distress to her two sons. [3] His concerns were subsequently echoed by Royal commentators and friends of the late princess, including Rosa Monckton, who intended to write to the broadcaster urging them not to show the footage, which she said "doesn't belong in the public domain". [4]

The documentary drew a mixed reaction from critics, as well as giving Channel 4 their largest overnight ratings for over a year. Figures indicated the film was watched by an average audience of 3.5 million, peaking at 4.1 million. [5]

The documentary aired on PBS in the United States in a slightly altered form, under the title Diana—Her Story. [6]

A National Geographic documentary with the identical title, "Diana: In Her Own Words," was released the same year and was also structured around previously unaired interviews, but is unrelated. [7] [8] That documentary, by filmmakers Tom Jennings and David Tillman, used interviews from 1991 which had originally been recorded for the Andrew Morton biography, Diana: Her True Story. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana, Princess of Wales</span> Member of the British royal family (1961–1997)

Diana, Princess of Wales, was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her activism and glamour made her an international icon, and earned her enduring popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Bashir</span> British journalist (born 1963)

Martin Henry Bashir is a British former journalist. He was a presenter on British and American television and for the BBC's Panorama programme, for which he gained an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales under false pretences in 1995. Although the interview was much heralded at the time, it was later determined that he used forgery and deception to gain it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer</span> Brother of Diana, Princess of Wales

Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer,, styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. He is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and is the maternal uncle of William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Morton (writer)</span> English journalist and writer

Andrew David Morton is an English journalist and writer who has published biographies of royal figures such as Diana, Princess of Wales, and celebrity subjects including Tom Cruise, Madonna, Angelina Jolie and Monica Lewinsky; several of his books have been unauthorised and contain contested assertions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer</span> British countess (1897–1972)

Cynthia Ellinor Beatrix Spencer, Countess Spencer was a British peeress and the paternal grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personality and image of Elizabeth II</span> Public depiction of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

The image of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms and Head of the Commonwealth from 1952 to 2022, was generally favourable throughout her years as a reigning monarch. Conservative in dress, she was well known for her solid-colour overcoats and matching hats, which allowed her to be seen easily in a crowd. She attended many cultural events as part of her public role. Her main leisure interests included horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh corgis. She ate jam sandwiches every day since childhood. Some of her other favorite foods were fish and chips, chocolate perfection pie, scones with jam and clotted cream, salmon from the River Dee and Morecambe Bay potted shrimp. Her views on political issues and other matters were largely subject to conjecture. She never gave a press interview and was otherwise not known to discuss her personal opinions publicly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales</span> 1997 funeral ceremony in London

The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, started on Saturday 6 September 1997 at 9:08 am in London, when the tenor bell of Westminster Abbey started tolling to signal the departure of the cortège from Kensington Palace. The coffin was carried from the palace on a gun carriage by riders of the King's Troop and escorted by mounted police along Hyde Park to St James's Palace, where Diana's body had remained for five days before being taken to Kensington Palace. The Union Flag on top of the palace was lowered to half mast. The official ceremony was held at Westminster Abbey in London and finished at the resting place in Althorp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer</span> 1981 royal wedding in London

The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place on Wednesday, 29 July 1981, at St Paul's Cathedral in London, United Kingdom. The groom was the heir apparent to the British throne, and the bride was a member of the Spencer family.

Diana: Her True Story is a 1993 biographical drama television film based on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. It is based on the book of the same name by Andrew Morton, who also served as screenwriter and producer of the adaptation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon</span> First cousins of Queen Elizabeth II

Nerissa Jane Irene Bowes-Lyon and Katherine Juliet Bowes-Lyon were two of the daughters of John Herbert Bowes-Lyon and his wife Fenella. John was the brother of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother, thus his two daughters were first cousins of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, sharing one pair of grandparents, Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

The Story of Diana is an American four-hour television documentary on the life of Princess Diana. The ABC documentary, made in partnership with People, explored Diana's life and legacy, through interviews with historians, experts and people who knew Diana personally, interwoven with archival footage.

Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy is a 2017 documentary film broadcast in the United Kingdom by ITV on 24 July 2017 and the United States by HBO on 24 July 2017. It will also air on Seven Network in Australia, CBC in Canada, Three in New Zealand, NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland and TV2 in Denmark. It aired on 20 August 2017 on CBC News Network.

Peter Settelen is a British actor and voice coach, known for helping Princess Diana (1961–1997) improve her public speaking skills.

Diana, 7 Days is a 2017 documentary film which was broadcast in the United Kingdom by BBC on 27 August 2017. The documentary is the last of two documentaries commissioned by Prince William and Prince Harry to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Lady Kitty Eleanor Lewis is a British model and aristocrat. She is the eldest child of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, niece of Diana, Princess of Wales and the first cousin of William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Spencer is the spokesmodel for jewellery brand Bulgari and fashion company Dolce & Gabbana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales</span> 35th episode of the 43rd season of Panorama

"An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales" is an episode of the BBC documentary series Panorama which was broadcast on BBC1 on 20 November 1995. The 54-minute programme saw Diana, Princess of Wales, interviewed by journalist Martin Bashir about her relationship with her husband, Charles, Prince of Wales, and the reasons for their subsequent separation. The programme was watched by nearly 23 million viewers in the UK. The worldwide audience was estimated at 200 million across 100 countries. In the UK, the National Grid reported a 1,000 MW surge in demand for power after the programme. At the time, the BBC hailed the interview as the scoop of a generation.

<i>Spencer</i> (film) 2021 film by Pablo Larraín

Spencer is a 2021 historical psychological drama film directed by Pablo Larraín from a screenplay by Steven Knight. The film is about Princess Diana's existential crisis during the Christmas of 1991, as she considers divorcing Prince Charles and leaving the British royal family. Kristen Stewart and Jack Farthing star as Diana and Charles respectively, joined by Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, and Sally Hawkins.

The Princess is a 2022 British documentary film about Diana, Princess of Wales, directed by Ed Perkins. The film is produced by Lightbox in association with Sky and HBO Documentary Films.

James Richard Colthurst is an Irish-born British aristocrat, radiologist, and medical business consultant. He worked as a radiologist at London's St Thomas' Hospital and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Colthurst was a close friend to Diana, Princess of Wales and served as a "middle-man" between the princess and the writer Andrew Morton, interviewing her for the 1992 book Diana: Her True Story.

<i>Diana: Her True Story</i> (book) Authorised biography of Diana, Princess of Wales by Andrew Morton

Diana: Her True Story is an authorised biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, written by Andrew Morton. The book was published in the United Kingdom in hardcover format on 16 June 1992 by Michael O'Mara Books. The book was controversial as it detailed out Diana's suicidal unhappiness within her marriage and her struggles with depression. At the time of publication, Buckingham Palace denied any cooperation between the princess and Morton, but it was later revealed that Diana was the main source behind the book's content.

References

  1. Diana: Her Story , retrieved 2019-11-25
  2. Thorpe, Vanessa (30 July 2017). "Diana tapes reveal Queen's reply to sobbing plea over loveless marriage". Theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. "Earl Spencer pleads with Channel 4 not to broadcast Diana tapes". News.sky.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  4. "Row erupts over Channel 4's Diana tapes". Bbc.co.uk. 31 July 2017. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  5. "Diana documentary splits critics". Bbc.co.uk. 7 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  6. Clarke, Stewart. "Controversial Princess Diana Documentary Is Channel 4's Highest-Rated Show of 2017". Variety. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  7. "Diana: In Her Own Words". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  8. Little, Becky. "Princess Diana Changed the Idea of What a Princess Should Be". National Geographic. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  9. "The Andrew Morton Controversy". PBS. Retrieved 9 March 2021.