Diana: The Secret Years

by Simone Simmons

Diana's best friend, from her divorce to her death, reveals the "people's" princess as she has not been seen before, including her feelings about Prince Charles and the royal family, her sons, and the heartbreak that led her into the arms of millionaire Dodi Fayed. 16 pages of color photos.

Genres: Nonfiction, Royalty, Biography

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Andrea Guy]

I have to admit I'm a Diana junkie. When she passed away, I think I read almost everything I could get my hands on. This was the last book I had laying around the house.

It is definitely fluff reading, but I didn't expect it to be otherwise.

Like so many of the other books by Diana's so called friends, I felt like she was tooting her own horn about how important she was to the Princess and, of course, there was nothing new to be found in this short read, even the photos were ones that I've seen a million times.

Simone's writing did very little to make you form any new opinions on the Princess. It was a decent enough book, but it really didn't deliver, though the book jacket promised much.

This book was so tabloid-esque that I kind of felt guilty reading it.

[Deveney Redwine]

Tragic insight to the private life of Princess Diana in the years post divorce.

[Andie]

God forgive me, I cannot stop reading trash books like this one.

[Tonya's Turning Pages]

Something about this book just did not sit right with me. She was telling us how important she was to Diana. And I have no doubt they were close and had a relationship, but this just seems like a grab for money or an attempt to prove her friendship with Diana. I learned nothing new from this book. And while she was not disrespectful to Diana, I have to wonder what she hoped to accomplish with this book. And there were no new photographs in here. Hopefully, this was supposed to be a tribute to her late friend and not about anything else.

[Reader]

For a text ensuring itself to highlight Diana’s fragile sense of trust, this book reads as a self important “friend” keen to air each imperfection of Diana with little regard to her memory. Each chapter reads more and more as an individual set on writing a book that would crush the feelings and trust of a woman she claims to have cherished. In short, a burn book at best.

[Vickie Kulp]

This wasn't the best book I've ever read about Diana. To me it seemed like the author was doing a lot of repeat. The author is an "energy healer" so mostly the book was about what Ms. Simmons thought were Diana's feelings.

[Lysa]

Interesting read. Not a spectacular writing style.. but she was a deity of a woman, our Diana. I'm sad we lost her at such a young age. Also I didn't really get to know her over time since I was only five when she passed. She would have been such a nice human to have in this era.

[Porter]

Not impressed by the writing.

[Wendy]

Being a royal isn't so wonderful.

[ZzZ]

Absolute trash… Simone Simmons is an absolutely disgracefully pathetically ghastly human, an extraordinary fraud.

[Hrh Queencat]

the author was up herself & assumed a lot

[Rose]

B Spe

[Louise]

One of the many books written after Princess Diana's tragic death. This book was written by a woman who become Princess Di's close friend and confidant.

[Maricor]

interesting huh

[Read-n-Bloom]

Didn't really care for this book about Princess Di. But it was somewhat interesting.