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Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing
Review: Having read many accounts of the Royals, from the Morton Book to Kitty Kelley to Donald Spoto, I decided to give this one a try. It was an intriguing effort, being from the viewpoint of the Princess's personal staff, and not from sensationalist writers who don't actually know her. I enjoyed the book, and believe it rings of the truth for the most part, although I had to wonder about Ms. Berry's motives in working for the Royals in the first place. She had a teaching degree and had passed a couple of O levels. She said she wanted a more "stable" job than teaching, yet complained about the pay (which is notoriously lower than you would expect for those in Royal service). Why would a woman with such qualifications opt for a career in housekeeping, sponginging up the vomit of the Royal children, literally airing the dirty laundry, and overall, tolerating the temper tantrums of two overprivileged people trapped in a marriage from hell, who feel just "Royal" enough to take it out on the staff? One could almost surmise that she took the job out of curiosity, and then just cashed in at the bitter end. It does seem that there was a bit of a race to get it published: in the Introduction from the publisher, they mention that in their hurry to get the book to press, nothing was altered in Ms. Berry's original manuscript, and there it is, typos and all (not too many, though). The book comes across as an honest, simple account, with just a touch of haughty opinion on the part of the housekeeper from time to time. My favorite passage was the one where Ms. Berry says that in spite of all the screaming fits Diana got into with some of the staff, she never got into it with her. Ms. Berry says, "I think she would not dare" because the Princess knew that it would not be tolerated. I had to chuckle, because I think Diana most certainly WOULD have dared, but the housekeeper was just lucky enough to have missed out on such a tirade. All in all, a quick, entertaining read. Even though it's not currently available from the publisher, your library will surely have it (that's where I picked it up), and it's probably better that you just borrow it, rather than spending any money on it.
Rating: 
Summary: An insider's story
Review: I bought this book several years ago and have just re-read it.It's an interesting look at life inside the Royal Family. Well, at least one part of it. The self-centeredness of Prince Charles is not surprising. He expects every whim to be catered to without question and immediately. He comes across as very spoiled and out of touch. Princess Diana is another matter. Her instability is so apparent. It is too bad that she did not get professional help. The last sentence, "But where is it all going to end?" is sad when you think about what happened to Diana. The author doesn't take sides, but has given us a good look into the private lives of a very unhappy family.
Rating:
Summary: An insider's story
Review: I bought this book several years ago and have just re-read it. It's an interesting look at life inside the Royal Family. Well, at least one part of it. The self-centeredness of Prince Charles is not surprising. He expects every whim to be catered to without question and immediately. He comes across as very spoiled and out of touch. Princess Diana is another matter. Her instability is so apparent. It is too bad that she did not get professional help. The last sentence, "But where is it all going to end?" is sad when you think about what happened to Diana. The author doesn't take sides, but has given us a good look into the private lives of a very unhappy family.
Rating: 
Summary: Slight, amusing and more than a little pretentious
Review: I got this book from Ebay as it was out of print. And Banned
in London. It was a good book all in all. But, I learned nothing
really new. We all know that Diana had alot of problems
I guess I would as well if I lived with the Royals. Not an
easy family to live with. She did her job and won the hearts
of many people. She is still a hero in my heart. Hey, she was
a person before she was royal.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing New
Review: I got this book from Ebay as it was out of print. And Banned
in London. It was a good book all in all. But, I learned nothing
really new. We all know that Diana had alot of problems
I guess I would as well if I lived with the Royals. Not an
easy family to live with. She did her job and won the hearts
of many people. She is still a hero in my heart. Hey, she was
a person before she was royal.
Rating:
Summary: Good insight into the lives of Charles and Diana
Review: I read this book about a year before Diana's death and found it to be very informative. The author gives an insightful account of what goes on behind the scenes in the lives of the Royal Family. It also appears the breakup of the marriage was the fault of both Charles and Diana and there really was a lack of communication from the beginning. The author does not pull any punches and does not appear to take sides. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in Diana's life before the divorce.
Rating:
Summary: Very insightful.
Review: It is interesting to get the observations of the woman who lived in Diana's house for years. I have admired Diana for years but now feel there is so much that we don't know. She could be quite spiteful and hateful. It is important for this side of the story to get out. I still admire her, but look at her differently. She was called "the saint" by the household staff because no matter how awful she behaved in private, the public always idolized her. The media has always had a vested interest in presenting only the positive side of her. I have not been able to buy the book yet, I've listened to the tapes. Most of the revelations on the tapes are shocking and eye-opening.
Rating:
Summary: Slight, amusing and more than a little pretentious
Review: It's a fun read, no doubt about it. Being a Midwestern girl, I'll never know what it's like to be a royal and I found this insider's view fascinating. To be fabulously wealthy, yet get all manner of freebies and presents. To have a staff there ready to wait on you, yet to never be away from their judgemental eyes. What a life! No wonder both Charles and Diana were spoiled and far from perfect. I don't see how anyone could be remotely normal given the lives they led. For this peek into Highgrove, I was grateful. However, Ms. Berry herself seems rather unlikeable. Always gossiping, making sure we know that's she's more educated that the Prince and Princess realized, saying that Diana never would have "dared" lose her famous temper with the housekeeper, it kept me shaking my head. Like other, I'm sure, I suspect if she didn't take this job in the first place just to pen a tell-all.
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