Sarah Bradford's biography, the self-titled Diana, is the quintessential read for any historian researching the life of the late Princess of Wales.

The author is pragmatic with her views of the young woman who continues to divide opinion across the world.

An appealing element of the book is the way Ms. Bradford wades through the innuendo and gossip which daily surrounds the life and death of Diana to present with finesse the essential elements with which to determine the truth behind the façade of the princess. Her perspicacity overcomes the myth and focuses on the impact of Diana’s short life.

The book begins with Diana's childhood and subsequent chapters follow a chronological timeline, from her relationship with her Spencer family, through her 'romance' with Prince Charles and life at the heart of the Royal Family, ending with her untimely death and the resulting questions about the legacy of 'The People's Princess'.

Such was the extent of her fame and the allegations that surround Diana that it would initially seem difficult to assess such a complex subject, but the author effortlessly guides the story without tedium.

This is due in no small part to the way in which Ms. Bradford is meticulous with details. Of especial interest is the way in which the author, an expert on all things royal having written extensively on the House of Windsor — dissects some events that, in the intervening years, have been misconstrued. Such aspects of Diana's life — including the allegations about her private life and loves, her relationship with the Queen and other members of the Royal Family, as well as the circumstances surrounding her death — are thoroughly explained with the help of named and unnamed sources.

An example of the redressing of hardened 'facts' is the famous misquote "whatever love means". The Prince of Wales did say “whatever love means”, but only to Diana as she recounted the day he asked her to marry him. The transcripts of the tapes of Diana revealing this fact, as given to Andrew Morton by an ally of the Princess at the height of the scandal and intrigue surrounding Charles and Diana's marriage in the early 1990s, show this to be the case. This was latterly explained (but apparently overlooked by many who continue to misquote the Prince) in the tribute reprint of Diana: Her True Story — In Her Own Words (p. 74).

In her prologue to Diana, the author asks: "How was it that for just over sixteen years, between her glittering marriage to the heir to the British throne and her violent death in a Paris underpass, a young, unsophisticated girl shook the British monarchy to its foundations and became a worldwide celebrity?

This is just one of many questions posed by Ms Bradford and, not wishing to ruin what is an excellent read, I will dangle some tantalizing questions, the answers to which are offered in the book:

• Did Charles ever really love Diana?
• Did Diana ever stop loving Charles?
• How much did Camilla truly impact upon the royal marriage?
• What were Charles' true feelings on Diana popularity with the public?
• What was Paul Burrell’s reaction to being removed from his post at Highgrove and sent to work for the Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace? And was he really the Princess's "rock"?
  
• How much did Sir Robert Fellowes, in his dual capacity as Diana's brother-in-law and Private Secretary to the Queen, involve himself in the crisis surrounding Charles and Diana's marriage?
• Who was truly on the side of Diana or Charles in the media-centered 'War of the Waleses?'
• Who supported Diana with her marriage problems in her own family?
• How close was her relationship with Dr. Hasnat Khan?
• What were her true feelings toward Dodi, as recalled by some of her closest friends?

At the risk of becoming panegyric, I was entranced with Sarah Bradford’s Diana and the candid perception she maintained on the late Princess of Wales.

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