Dianaworld, Edward White
Dianaworld, Edward White
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Dianaworld
An Obsession

Author: Edward White

Narrator: Josette Simon

Unabridged: 13 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/03/2025


Synopsis

Over the last forty years, the mythology of Princess Diana has turned the woman who was born Diana Spencer into a symbol for almost anything. From a harbinger of Brexit populism, an all-American consumer capitalist, and the savior of the British aristocracy, to a catalyst for #MeToo, Diana connects with a wider array of people than any member of the royal family ever has. We feel so familiar with Diana that it seems crushingly formal to use anything but her first name.

In Dianaworld, Edward White guides us through this strange precinct of a global cultural obsession. It's a place of mass delusions, outsized fantasies and quixotic dreams; of druids, psychics, Hollywood stars, obsessive stalkers, radical feminists, and Middle Eastern generals. In a signature, innovative "exploded biography," White offers both a portrait of the princess, and group portraits of those who knew her intimately; those who worked with and for her; and the many ordinary people whose connection to Diana reveals her unique and enduring legacy. White draws on a kaleidoscopic array of sources and perspectives never before used in books about Diana or the royal family—from interviews with sex workers and professional lookalikes, to the Mass Observation social research project and the Great Diary Project in Britain, and the peculiar work of outsider artists.

About Edward White

Edward White is the author of The Tastemaker: Carl Van Vechten and the Birth of Modern America and has written for publications including The Paris Review. He lives in England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Vicki on May 31, 2025

The People's Princess... DIANAWORLD by Edward White 3 stars. The People's Princess, a title that encapsulated Diana's reputation. Her bodyguard Ken Wharf says he wrote about his memories of Diana because he feared she'd be written out of history. I'm inclined to agree with him. Dianaworld, so the author......more

Goodreads review by *TUDOR^QUEEN* on May 17, 2025

3.5 Stars I'm a bit flummoxed about how to describe this book. The way it's structured kind of reminds me of those Craig Brown authored books like 150 Glimpses of the Beatles, Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret and Q: A Voyage Around the Queen. There's a little of this and a little of that- a......more

Goodreads review by Crystal on August 16, 2025

I'm not gonna lie, I fell asleep multiple times tryouts to read this book. no new info, but yes, Diana's looks changed standard norms, and everyone either wanted to be like her or dress like her.......more

Goodreads review by Isis on March 10, 2025

Thank you to Goodreads for gifting me this ARC. I'm not going to go into great detail about this book. I enjoyed it, but I initially thought it would read more as a biography. Instead, this reads like an academic textbook at times. With that said, due to the format, it took me longer to read than I......more

Goodreads review by Kelsea on May 06, 2025

To be honest, the reason I got this book is because I saw an article about it that discussed a particular night that Diana dressed up in drag to go to a famous gay bar—Vauxhall’s—with Freddy Mercury…consider me intrigued. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed Edward White’s take on Princess Di’s lasting cul......more