The Day Diana Died

By: Christopher Andersen

Narrated by: Polly Lee

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

"When I was born, I was unwanted. When I married Charles, I was unwanted. When I joined the Royal Family, I was unwanted. I want to be wanted." (Diana, Princess of Wales)

Where were you the day Diana died? Like the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the tragic death of the Princess of Wales on August 31, 1997, is one of the defining benchmarks in history - an event that touched each of us so profoundly we will never forget the moment we heard the news.  

Twenty years after the Paris car crash that ended Diana's life at age 36, the story of her remarkable life and tragic death still have the power to mesmerize. Following her storybook wedding to Prince Charles, she had evolved from "Shy Di" into the planet's most photographed, written-about, and talked-about woman - indeed, the most famous person in the world.   

For all Diana's global fame, much of the human drama that swirled around her death remained veiled in mystery and intrigue. Here, in the manner of his other 17 New York Times best sellers, Christopher Andersen draws upon important sources - many of whom are agreeing to speak for the first time - to re-create in vivid and often startling detail the events leading up to that fateful night in Paris. Among the many revelations:   

• Important information about Diana's final moments alive, the accident itself - and her last words
• Prince Charles's surprising reaction to the news of Diana's death - including his shock the first time he saw her body - the Queen's bizarre request, and a riveting account of how Prince William and Prince Harry coped with their shock and grief.
• The broken romance that pushed Diana into the arms of Dodi Fayed, their curious relationship, and whether or not she truly planned to marry him.  
• A behind-the-scenes account of the battle royal that raged between the Queen and Prince Charles in the days leading up to the funeral.  
• Diana's spiritual quest, and the warnings that might have saved her. 
• Final answers to persistent rumors that Diana was pregnant at the time of the accident - and that she was the victim of a murder plot. 
• At the end, what Diana wanted for her sons, her vision of a future King William - and the American icon she most wanted him to emulate.  

Diana was, in every sense of the word, larger than life - a force of nature that, as the Royal Family learned, could be neither dismissed nor ignored. A bittersweet saga of triumph, love, and loss, The Day Diana Died captures those last days when Diana's star never shone brighter - and evokes the beauty, grace, heartache, and compassion that made Diana one of the most compelling figures of our time. 

©1998, 1999. 2017 Andersen Productions (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Swift and astounding reading." (Time) 

 "The book that sparked a media frenzy." (The Washington Post)   

 "A fabulous, addictive read." (Chicago Sun-Times) 

The Sad Events of Diana's Passing

This was my second book by this author, "The Day John Died" being my first. Like that book, this is extremely well researched, informative, shocking, sad and hard to put down. This book skillfully handled even the most details with sensitivity. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audio book. The narration handled the subject matter well and the pronunciation of the French names beautifully. While speculation is minimal, this book sticks to the facts. Hard to put down.

Sad Summer Day

This is an ok revisiting of that sad time when Princess Diana died. Most of the material will be well known to most people, but there are a few interesting bits of new info thrown in here and there.

While narrator Polly Lee has a pleasant, gentle voice, her mispronunciations are as grating as her vocalizations of assorted bystanders. (Placido Domingo's first name is pronounced PLA' cee do, not Pla CEE' do; the name of Diana's childhood home, Althorp, is pronounced AL' thrup, another example of the difference between the spelling and the pronunciation of many British proper names. It's difficult to understand why Ms. Lee doesn't know this.) In lending the Latin term "annus horribilis" a distinctly French tone, we see that she did not study Latin in school and didn't bother to check with someone who did. Then there are the inexplicable slip-ups such as "aminated" for animated, "fingering" for lingering. Most peculiar. Worst of all are her vocalizations of EVERYBODY who contributed comments on the tragedy. Deep-throated glottal stretches do not = male voices, or Margaret Thatcher's either. And I do hope that Bill Clinton can laugh if he ever hears her version of his Arkansas accent.

A Day oft Shock

I remember my brother coming to my bedroom door to tell me that Diana had been badly injured in a car accident in Paris...I immediately turned on my tv to get an update and the Fell asleep...I woke up around 5am to the news that she had died....what a shock !....Well told story... brought back many sad emotionslos for me.

Sleeping Princess

The last two hours were the highlight of the book, offering details regarding Diana's death that were not well known outside the UK. Otherwise, the rest was rather familiar. A bit too much emphasis on her early naiveté, author could have expounded more on her passion for humanitarian causes, her "magic" that made billions shed tears when she died. Petty things like her feud with Fergie felt like cheap gossip you read in the tabloids...author could have skipped those parts, Fergie already exploited that story.

Don't waste your money

My opinion is this book was cobbled together with known information, not so subtle digs at the Princess and, a further attempt to make money off of her, long after her death.

Cold family

Seemed almost like peering through Diana's personal window. At times felt I shouldn't be looking. Overall a very sad reflection on the monarchy and her family.

Great book

This book provided great details about the life and death of Diana. I really enjoyed listening to this book. The story was done very tastefully and satisfied my curiosity about many of the details involving her death. The world lost a very exceptional person.

Very good

The book was very interesting. There were parts that I didn’t know and filled in the gaps.

Excellent audiobook!

I really liked this book because after reading a few books about Princess Diana I didn't know lots of details about her tragic accident narrated in this book. The narrator is excellent and brought tears to my eyes just to remember that very sad day.

Full of Detail

You must listen at 1.2 speed! Otherwise, it’s way too slow. The research done for this book fills the gap of all the missing details.

Good but not good

Well we all know the story...but there were some interesting bits in it that I did not know about. The most annoying part of the book was the narrator. She spoke with a posh voice and every time she was saying quoted words from a non royal she’d put on this semi common London accent-drove me mad!

Interesting story meets horrendous narration

The accents the reader uses when anyone speaks who is external to the straight narration in this novel are so unbearable. Think Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins vs Anne Hathaway in One Day and you’ll just about get half way to how distractingly ridiculous they are.
Shame as there was a lot of interest in the novel, though the fabrication/ padding unnecessary (growing out of pyjamas etc ....)

Mixed feelings

Although I enjoyed the story. The voice of different people was Absolutely diabolical making some people sound thick

It was very narrated indeed. I loved it.

I loved it a lot. Very well narrated indeed.. I can listen to it over and over again.

Good book, let down by narrator.

Although this book is obviously well researched,the narration is dreadful, particularly the nurse in the hospital who sounds like Me Bean. Very distracting.