Rating: 
Summary: Growing Up Royal
Review: Andersen's Diana's Boys: William and Harry and the Mother They Loved explains the lives of Prince William, Prince Harry, and their family members. It tells of the scandals that the Windsors have recently been involved with and how the young princes have dealt with these scandals. The book tells of Diana's problems: her failed marriage, her battle with bulimia, and her arguments with the Queen over how the young boys would be raised. The story seems to tell more about Charles and Diana than the boys, and at times seems to be repetitive. Overall, I enjoyed the book and its description of the lives of the young princes and how they handle their royal lives: the paparazzi, the bodyguards, and the death of their mother, the Princess of Wales.
Rating: 
Summary: Hopefully Still Diana's Boys
Review: Diana's Boys, Andersen's recent bio of Diana and the fate, so far, of her sons Princes William and Harry, will make you first weep and then shudder. Aside from what appear to be the author's small errors (dates, names, both of little significance), this is a sad and sobering rehash of the death of Diana and the change from the luscious warmth of mother love to the rigid chill of the House of Windsor that these lads have experienced since that awful day in August of '97. One may find Diana to have been smothering, but we will never know how that would have turned out - the tendency was clearly there - although it is hard to overlove a child. It comes as no surprise that the atmosphere of the royal marriage put Harry and William in the same thankless boat as most children of acrimonious divorce. Picture it lived in the international spotlight. The insult to injury was the heartless chill they suddenly suffered at her death; something that will hopefully be remedied as they age and mature. Time, blessedly, does this as we have come to know. One has to wonder though. If this book is any indication - this was not the pleasantest family in which to grow up or face a mother's early, public death. There is even the ugly question of whether her death resulted in some small manner as a perverse form of schadenfreude - where the cause of the regal misery was suddenly gone along with the adored mother. It would not be the first time the baby had gone with the bath water and these boys, who had their share of choosing sides, suddenly would have to do so no longer. Children - even teenagers - often do welcome the quick fix. Diana comes across to us as a loving, yet histrionic and needy mother; Charles as a loving yet clueless and guilty "papa"; whipped by his own father relentlessly - a combination that rendered neither one capable of offering balance or joy on a routine basis to either child. Diana's excessive love overshadowed by Charles' guilt and the lack of role models for either one to emulate appears in vivid contrast to the photo ops in which both boys appeared with such happiness. Clearly both were gilded yo-yos but yo-yos nonetheless. Poor Harry seems a bit of a dim bulb - truly living up to his role as merely a spare and William, trained to be king, far too wise for his young years. One aches to imagine the depth of pain and sorrow, discouraged expression, in both their hearts as they have soldiered on with a life of predestined duties, without the softening touch of their mother's tenderness. Only time will tell if either will marry well, father well or fare well. William seems unlikely to reign until his late 40's - if at all and Harry may wind up in the unenviable position of the rest of the royal family - unless he is quite good at woodworking or military service. The next 30 years cannot be ones faced with unabated hope and ambition for two young men who have been robbed not only of their mother but of the right to grieve as much and as long as required to soothe such a wretched ache. I do heartily recommend the book for its candor and poignancy, but you will indeed be saddened by the all too familiar story it tells of modern marriage, parenthood and horrible loss - no matter how regal your birth or honorable your intentions.
Rating: 
Summary: Mildly Interesting Rehash of What We Mostly Knew
Review: Having been an avid Diana fan since her engagement, I haven't missed a book published in the last score of years... While for people unfamiliar with the royal family, this would be fascinating, for those of us who keep up to date, it wasn't. The Queen and Camilla P.B. make their indifference to the Princess' death quite clear. Neither are to be admired for their generosity of spirit or thoughtfulness. On the other hand, our lovely Diana was a bit of a trauma/drama queen when it really wasn't necessary... She was a good mother by royal standards, and a good princess, which did not necessarily ever make her a good wife. She and he were incompatible from the get-go. The boys are the best thing to have come out of the debacle of the marriage. May she rest in peace, and Wills and Harry have the luck and smart choices to achieve the happiness that escaped her.
Rating:
Summary: Important history
Review: Having read the "customer reviews" up to this point, I'm left with the impression that many of the customers don't understand the purpose of a biography. This new book about Diana and her sons is not only a good read for today, putting the past, the accident, the family relationships, and the present in some kind of order; but will also serve as an account of these times, a history of these important people. Some day, my grandchildren will have access to this book to understand what the contemporary perspective was. I hope Mr. Andersen writes many more such interesting biographies of the people of our very interesting times!
Rating: 
Summary: A prolonged love note
Review: I bought this book with the hopes of finding out a little more about William and Harry, a pair of teenage boys whose actual lives have been completely overshadowed by their father and late mother. Unfortunately this book is mostly about just that: Charles and Diana. Better to have cut out most of the stuff on them and focused on the "Boys."It begins as the news of Diana's death reaches the Windsor family, and the reactions of the people there. Then it shoots back in time to show the lives and backgrounds of Charles and Diana, the seemingly golden royal couple whose marriage deteriorated under adultery, lies, and the piercing eye of the press. William and Harry grew up in this bizarre enviroment, and the book includes some of what they have been doing since their mother's sudden death. This might have been a good -- albeit slim -- book, if Anderson had kept his eyes focused on Diana's boys. But at least two-thirds is barely about the boys, but a rehash of all the stuff about Diana. We've seen it all before, and Anderson's presentation is not particularly interesting. Perhaps it's because Charles and Harry, royal hijinks included, just haven't done that much of note yet. One of the biggest problems with the book is that the author tries to cover all the bases. In the matter of these two, it's really not possible to not take sides. So, Charles let his wife suffer, stayed with Camilla, and he went off to the opera when his son was beaned by a golf club. "Charles is scum," you will be saying -- Anderson is presenting him in that light. But after that, we are presented with a more ooey-gooey, sensitive, forgiving picture of Charles as an ex and a father. It's like Anderson wrote a postscript to his Diana love note, devoted to Charles. It doesn't work! Either you think Diana was right, or you think Charles was. You cannot say that they were both okay, kindly and fine -- if they had been, then presumably they would not have broken up. The parts about Harry and William are actually the most interesting parts of the book; there are some cute photographs and anecdotes, like William playing with a tot, working as a rap deejay (cute "rock on" gesture here), and Harry giggling at his brother's inability to get his driver's license without press attention. But like many biographers, Anderson also descends to tabloid sniggering. We're presented with entire photographic pages of William's ex-girlfriends, including First Niece Lauren Bush. there's a weird anecdote about William creeping into girls' camping tents, which is never credited to anyone or even a publication. This book has some endearing stuff about the "Boys," marred by a spattering of tabloid material (am I the only one who doesn't care who William is dating?). But most of it is the thousandth rehash of Charles and Di's messy marriage -- better to wait until their sons get a real biography written about them.
Rating:
Summary: Another Good Andersen Book
Review: I enjoyed this book, largely because I'm a great fan of Princess Diana. This book offered interesting tidbits I had not heard before, which made for interesting reading. I do have one minor complaint, however, which is that I feel the book could have been shorter. After a while the chapters started to rehash old details and repeat themselves. Although long-winded at times, this is another good book by Andersen, whose "The Day Diana Died" was very informative, as well.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting!
Review: I highly enjoyed this book. It showed a fascinating and intimate perspective into the family lives of Diana, Charles, William and Harry. I found a lot of interesting tidbits! I totally found this difficult to put down. It seemed to show the sincere feelings and actions of Diana and the boys who she loved. Honestly, I felt this book was very detailed and interesting and I would have enjoyed if it even went more in depth into their lives. I HIGHLY recommend this book! One of my favorite Princess Diana books I have ever read. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it but it gave me different perspectives on each member of the family.
Rating:
Summary: A moving look at WIlliam and Harry.
Review: I just finished reading Diana's Boys. Christopher Andersen has painted a wonderful portrait of the Princes and their lives after their mother's death. I confess to both curiosity and fascination with the boys, and I was eager to learn about the way the two have grown since the tragic death of Princess Diana. Andersen has offered readers a glimpse at the way William and Harry dealt with a very personal tragedy in a very public way--a fact that is so often lost in the media frenzy that has surrounded them. Aside from that, he's presented an image of charismatic children who, despite growing up under the scrutiny of both the media and the royal family, have found a way to be charming and personable adolescents sure to become successful young men. This book, on top of The Day John Died and The Day Diana Died, leaves me only wondering what subject Christopher Andersen will tackle next.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Eye Opener
Review: I liked this book very much, even though in the beginning it covered ground we knew about before. Once you get into it though, you learn quite a few things you may not have known before. I was shocked to learn that even though the legal drinking age in England is 18, At the school both William and Harry attended, Eton, they actually have a pub on campus where students as young as 14 are allowed to drink. Even more shocking is the fact that the Queen once hosted a party for William and many of his friends from Eton, some of whom were as young as 14, where not only were they served an alcoholic drink before dinner, but were served white AND red wine during. I have never thought very much of Queen Elizabeth as it is, but to find out that this supposedly very proper women, who is such a stickler for protocol and proper behavior, would actually throw what amounts to nothing less than an underage drinking party absolutely enrages me. What a two faced hippocrite she is!
On the bright side, this book leaves you with the feeling that, contrary to the attempts by the Palace, Diana's boys have not forgotten the things their mother tried so hard to teach them, though they are of course, each their own person, and make their own decisions and mistakes. If you have ever wondered what happened to them in the aftermath of Diana's death, this is the book to read. Be prepared, though, to find out a few things that may disturb you about what's been going on since Diana died.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Read!
Review: I received this book for Christmas.....it is a wonderful book. Being a "Diana follower from day 1"...I am very particular about which books I read about Diana and deem credible....I read the author's book The Day Diana Died...and this one is even better...you will not be sorry you bought this book! May Diana's boys always remember their Mummy and what she tried to teach them..
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