A Royal Duty

Rating:
Summary: Best book on royal duty and the corruption behind it all...
Review: I read this book in one week because of the excitment. Paul did a wounderful job in presenting himself and his surroundings leading into the Diana's life. If you are looking for gossip then do not buy this book, the tabloids might be your better pick. The details are very helpful in showing a wide picture of the royal's living style within the heavy walls and how life is not easy for them. It's an emotional book to have...

Rating:
Summary: Not bad!
Review: I found this book interesting to begin with, Burrell
really harping on his "special" relationship with the Princess.
Toward the end of the book I was questioning his motives for
writing the book in the light of criminal allegations in which
he was involved. By the end I was certain he had a hidden
agenda. Not what I expected.

Rating:
Summary: A Rare Look at the Royal World
Review: Paul Burrell's account of his life with Princess Diana, and others, provids a rare look, indeed, at what most of us could not have imagined existed in rhe 'Royal World.' Especially interesting was the opportunity to learn of the down-to-earth, personal qualities of many of those to whom these special responsibilities have been given in the UK. There are obviously many admirable traits in these people who the world almost always sees from afar, and who reside in mystery behind the gates of the palace. Great work, Mr. Burrell!

Rating:
Summary: Best book in twenty years
Review: At last! A book that sets the record straight. It is very sincerely written. This is the best book I have read in twenty years. You will laugh as well as cry. Paul Burrell has done a magnificent job of describing life with the Royal Family, how he first gained employment, what his duties were, and how he became the closest member of staff to the Princess. Unlike other books about Diana, this book is neither gossipy nor judgemental. It clears up many myths created by the media. It will give you an insight to Royal life but at the same time restore your respect for the Queen, change your opinion of the Spencer family, and clarify myriad matters that were masked by the media until now. Those who have been critical of the publication of this book have obviously not read it.

Rating:
Summary: Same church, different pew
Review: Even with a shelf full of Diana books, I found Mr. Burrell's tome quite interesting. Having said that, it seems to me that the book was as much about Paul Burrell as it was about Princess Diana. More than once I got the feeling that a secondary purpose for writing this book was a "look at me; I told you we were close" message in addition to a loving tribute to The Boss. For someone who put her children above all else, Diana seemed amazingly blind to the fact that perhaps Paul's place was with HIS children, not hers or with her weeping copious tears at some silly film. When Maria Burrell chose her own children over waiting on Diana she was given the famous Diana deep freeze. There was no mention of any of Diana's former flat mates or other cronies coming 'round to dine with her in front of the tv; it was always Paul, Paul, Paul to the rescue filling every void. They both sound like a couple of well meaning albeit emotionally stunted individuals. And why on earth did the Royal Family get their knickers in a knot when this book came out? Didn't they read it? It was about as far from a tell-all book as you can get. Thanks Paul for an interesting peek behind the scenes at Buck House too. It increased my admiration for Her Majesty immensely as a monarch and as a mother-in-law while confirming some of my worst fears about her eldest son and heir. A very good read if you still haven't reached the saturation point with those folks from across the Pond.

Rating:
Summary: Diana should have murdered Camilla first
Review: After reading that, I can imagine that Diana was generous in not murdering that wicked woman, Camilla who was a constant shadow on her marriage from days before the wedding until her death. This will teach this kind of woman not to bother other woman's husband. Why that witch could not just leave them to live their life peacefully ?. She had only one ass but wanted to ride on two horses. She didn't accept the wedding proposal from the prince yet could not leave him to go on with his life and his new bride. I am not that fan of the princess either, she knew that his prince's heart was on someone else, she married him for ambition and tried to manipulate things later. I loved this book, show how wicked and sordid are these rich, high class royal marriages. But Diana could have kept the status quo and not divorced her unfaithful husband, not bent to the Queen wishes and just continue being a pain in his shoes. She divorced, got killed and that wicked couple is laughing at her grave. She just waste her only life like that. Really a tragic greek story.

Rating:
Summary: Enlightened
Review: I don't know anyone in my world who could have done what Paul Burrell did and come out in one piece. Found it hard to put the book down at times. It is very interesting to read how the Monarchy is run and of the people who work in different positions there. I guess you would say to hear of it, is to understand it. How nerve racking it must of been for Paul to see how his Family had to deal with this and to see and hear of what had to be revealed of things which maybe someday will, of HRH Diana. This book had me in tears many times, even at the end. Feelings were brought back to memory of many events remembered of seeing HRH Diana. In the end Paul is let free and what a moment that must have been. Yea, to Paul and to his devotion to a remarkable woman. Hope to hear more from Mr. Burrell down the road.

Rating:
Summary: I think Paul Burrell is a bit nutty.
Review: I liked some of this book -- to wit: when Burrell is describing what it was like to be a servant in the Queen's Household. But then, he went to work for Charles & Diana, and I think he lost his mind, a little. My personal opinion is that he had a fixation on Diana (and still does), which prevents him from being rational and balanced. You can just sense, as the book goes on, that he's losing his grip. It's not like he's out & out crazy, but she drew him into her own half-baked way of dealing with her problems, and he's still there even though she's gone. Also, his trial was a long & drawn out fiasco, which obviously took its toll on his personality and his thought process. That's why I give the book 2 stars: I truly think it was written by a person who is not dealing with reality. He's still seeing everything through Diana's POV and his own stressed-out, wounded POV, which does not a rational human being make!

Rating:
Summary: A story all people can relate to
Review: Mr. Burrell, while explaining in detail the pomp inherent in royal life, revealed a side of normalcy that anyone can relate to. Initially, I was offended at his revelation of secrets - a Royal Betrayal if you will. However, after coming to understand his relationship with and respect for the Princess and finally, the treatment he received after her death, I was left with the feeling that Princess Di would look down and say "you tell them Paul - atta boy." If you can relate to insecurities, friendship, unconditional love from family (such as Princess Di's birth family); jealousy; or a broken heart, you will find yourself identifying with this Royal environment. I wish Mr. Burrell the best success and commend him for revealing his own obsession with his boss. It is touching to hear his story of complete admiration of a woman who was by no means unflawed.

Rating:
Summary: Why Didn't He Reveal Her Murder(s) ?
Review: Loved the book from start to finish. I believe everything he has to say but I think this book was written because of what the British Royal Family put him through with that bogus trial. So many things are being revealed about the Royals it amazes me that the monarchy still exists. As if Camillagate wasn't enough Charles doesn't seem to have the discretion required of a future monarch. Charles' affair with his personal secretary has been a rumor for years and now it's out in the open. But like Burrell, the former employee who revealed the secret of a closet case future king, is having his reputation literally ripped apart by very powerful Palace officials. Burrell has been qouted as saying he has a lot more secrets to reveal and that this book was just the tip of the iceberg. Some speculate this statement was made as his way of insuring he wasn't offed by the Royal family or MI5. If he doesn't write a sequel he will be allowed to live. Sounds like a Royal mafia to me. My only problem with this book.....and it's a BIG problem ....is the fact that Burrell did NOT reveal who Diana suspected would attempt to assasinate her. If he really wanted justice he wouldn't settle for a set of British inqusitions that are not going to turn up a thing. He would have shown true devotion to Diana by seeing that her killers brought to justice. It's too much of a coincedence that this letter that predicted the future is not valid evidence of an obvious conspiracy. The powers that be will cover up this assasination at any cost. If the public finds out the Royal family, MI5, and the CIA were involved the public outrage would topple the monarchy. So maybe Burrell knew exactly what he was doing. If they go down because of him they would take him down with them for sure. I also do not think he was simply motivated by money even though he has made a fortune from writing this book. Everyone else has written their version of Diana's life so why shouldn't the person closest to her do the same? Burrell didn't sugarcoat anything. He managed to point out Diana's pluses and minuses instead of trying to sully her reputaion by declaring she was mentally ill (I tend to wonder if Charles' camp had something to do with that rumor?)! And as far as his being in love with her....here's a newsflash folks....the whole world was in love with her so to criticize him is just hypocritical. Every true Diana fan should read this and get an insight into a woman that will live in my heart forever!