Diana: In Her Own Words

With the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's untimely death, there was a spate of documentaries from around the world, most especially from The UK and The U.S. Some were as long as four hours long (ABC), others which tried to tell her utterly complex tale in an hour or less. But this particular documentary (which aired on Channel 4 in The UK, and on the NatGeo Channel in The U.S.) is the best and most intimate look into the mind of this compellingly fascinating woman. It relies heavily on the audio tapes from Diana's secret interviews for her secretly self-authorized "autobiography" (though at the time of the book's release, it was much-denied that she had anything to do with the book). Hearing Diana speak of the horrendous world she'd been sucked into, it's easy to see how a weaker person than her would have crumbled under the pressures of living under a paparazzi microscope--trapped in a loveless marriage in which Prince Charles (who comes off as a first-rate cad who did no less than trick Diana into being his "broodmare," to carry on the royal lineage. One almost feels as if Diana is speaking from the grave--and her revelations are sometimes shockingly intimate. This documentary also relies on a voice actress, to recreate some of Diana's own words--a device that can sometimes tarnish a documentary. But in this case, Heather Long captures Diana's speech patterns and accent to a "T"...sometimes, it's hard to tell actually "who" is speaking, she's that good. The research, editing, writing...this is a first-rate look at "the woman" rather than "the phenomenon". It would be hard to imagine a more incisive, respectful and honest portrayal of this complicated, sometimes perplexing woman. For admirers of the late Princess, it is satisfying to see that she is finally being reassessed and being given her due for changing the British Royal Family--seemingly, forever. EXCELLENT DOCUMENTARY!

Diana really was the people's princess. She showed a human side lacking in the rest of the royal family. This documentary is well made and excellent because it gives us Diana's side of the story in her own words. If you only watch one Diana documentary it should be this one.

The more we watch movies, series and documentaries about Lady Di the more we realize the abusive relationship and the toxic male that Charles has always been, cowardly, selfish, ugly, poor in spirit, stingy, poor Ladi, and alienates parentally by both families who should support her... Excellent documentary, practically only with lines from the Princess herself...

We all know her story, from her royal wedding to Prince Charles to that fateful night in 1997 when she and her lover died in a car accident. But this very aptly titled documentary tells her life in her own words, based on the recorded interviews she gave one of her closest friends in order for Andrew Morton to write his best-seller : Diana, here true story. It is so sad to hear her voice, to hear about the terrible ordeals she's been through, to see those pictures with her kids. The ending made me cry, watching William and Harry walk alongside their father and grandfather behind their Mummy's coffin... This documentary is heartbreaking, from the first second to the last. She was such an extraordinary human being...

This documentary brought me right back to the night of August 31st, 1997, when the news came of her car accident, and death soon after. So naturally, I had tears in my eyes throughout this.

It was fascinating and heartbreaking to hear her beautiful voice telling her life story. This documentary is very well done. If you are or were intrigued with the beautiful princess, I highly recommend this wonderful film.