I would have had a great deal more faith in the credibility of this book had it not been written by Christopher Andersen, who has an acclaimed reputation for digging up dirt on infamous people and portraying them at their worst, at their most vulnerable moments. However, that is the same kind of juicy, gossip that sells books and tabloids; some people will believe anything!

The book reveals how Princes William and Harry have dealt with the break-up of their parents' marriage, the death of their mother and the ever-growing presence of Camilla in their lives. It tells of the Queen's role in grooming the boys for the "Royal image" and how they have responded to her attempts. While the book does make interesting reading, if one were to take these two boys out of the public limelight and their "Royal position", they would probably react no differently from other boys around the world who have witnessed their parents divorce and their mother's tragic death.

Diana was a world-wide celebrity and one of the most beautiful ladies of our time. She exuded class and style in every life she touched. Her death was felt world-wide, particularly so in my country and in others who are a part of the British Commonwealth. It is highly likely the life lessons Diana gave her sons, and what she would have wanted for them, would be no different than what any loving parent would want for their children.

The book does go on to discuss "who blames who" for Diana's death. It is ironic that some people always seem to find a need to "blame someone" for life's trials and tribulations. I rather think Diana, being the compassionate person she was, would have raised her sons with a more positive, nurturing outlook on life, believing that forgiving the world for its tragedies is far more healing than blame.

So, how much is truth and how much is fiction? I suspect no one other than William and Harry will ever truly know the answer to that question, regardless of how many others may speculate. Everyone has the right to an opinion, but that does not make it factual. The reader will have to bear in mind the author's writing style and come to their own conclusions.

I was puzzled by one of the reviews of this book apparently written by someone who admits to having just thumbed through it, concluded that it contains "nothing new" and deemed it a "sad, little book." Another reviewer writes positively about the book and its subjects but trashes the author.

I found the book well written, well reported by someone who is a seasoned journalist (Mr. Andersen's credentials are impeccable) and who seems to have great sympathy for William and Harry. I found nothing salacious in this book and no hint that Mr. Andersen was after "dirt" on two young men who haven't really had time in their short lives to provide royal watchers on either side of the Atlantic with the kind of dirt that makes headlines.

All of that said I truly enjoyed "Diana's Boys" as an update on the lives of the two princes we all felt such sympathy for when Princess Diana was killed four years ago. "Diana's Boys" is also a touching tribute to Princess Diana's role as a mother. Although Mr. Andersen covers much familiar territory, he does so from a fresh perspective. I was entranced. And I read every word.

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.