Diana: Closely Guarded Secret (Diana Princess of Wales)

Of the various Diana tell-all books that have come out, this may be the best, with the added advantage that the passage of time gives some historical perspective. Inspector Ken Wharfe was a police officer assigned as 'personal protection officer' to Princess Diana's sons, and later to Diana herself, from 1986 to 1997. He left that post following a nasty argument with Diana over, of all things, whether Diana could park in a no-parking zone when she wanted to buy some CDs.

The book operates on two levels, both as a chronicle of crucial events in Diana's bumpy personal and professional life from a relatively objective angle, as well as insight into how the London police protect the royal family. For most of the book, Wharfe is highly positive about Diana, describing her uncanny knack for relating to the needy, and he is critical of Charles. The author argues that tales of her being psychotic are highly exaggerated. Despite his spirited defense of Diana's mental health, one gets the impression that this was an extremely unstable woman with whom no one could maintain a normal professional or personal relationship. It seems every anecdote involves avoiding her angry outbursts or assuaging her fragile ego.

This perspective on Diana's life was spellbinding, but I was even more fascinated by the insight into how the London police protect the royals. 'Protection officers' are expected to get close on a personal level to their protectees in order to gain their trust - an approach fraught with problems. Wharfe describes engaging in horseplay with Diana's sons, becoming essentially a surrogate father to them and a sort of platonic-husband figure to Diana. Although Wharfe sneers at the US Secret Service, the London police could do worse than to emulate their more emotionally detached approach to personal protection.

I just finished reading Ken Wharfe's wonderful account of his time with Princess Diana. I have read over sixty books on the royal family and this, by far, seems to be the most balanced account of Diana. I never had the opportunity to meet her but I knew that she could not have been as 'off balance' as much as has been presented in the past. Catherine Walker mentioned in her book that Diana had a wonderful sense of humor and Ken Wharfe expounds on that to give us examples of what she found funny and how lighthearted she could be at times. I also was not surprised that she could be a handful at times. While the world knows her past, her indescretions and some of her pain, she never let the British public down when it came to representing the royal family. It always amazed me that she could go from being with the most destitute of people, showing her caring for them, and then be at the most extravagant parties looking as though she was comfortable at both ends of the spectrum. One of the most eye-opening parts of the book is the difference of the protection officer from Scotland Yard and the protection offered by the Al Fayed family. It didn't occur to me until I read this that Mr. Wharfe had the opportunity to stop whatever may have come into play if it could possibly affect the safety of the Princess. He could do so directly with her without having to answer to the royal family since he worked for Scotland Yard. The Al Fayed protection team was hampered by the fact that they worked for their boss and I suppose their primary objective was to make all parties happy along with security and trying to keep their jobs all at the same time. It turned out to be a tragic combination. This is a well balanced book on Diana and Charles. It shows all sides and I hope that someday William and Harry will read it and realize that the author had compassion for their mother and father. I truly believe Mr. Wharfe had the best interest of the Princess in mind when he put pen to paper. I do believe she would have been proud.

This is by far the very best book I have ever read about the Princess of Wales! It was fair and balanced, and I think Inspector Wharfe gave the world a real gift by writing it. The insight he gives us into the Princess's world is truly fascinating.I think even more of Diana having read this book, flaws and all. If you weren't already a fan of Charles, you will not appreciate the first hand account of how poorly he treated his young wife, even though Wharfe did try to highlight the Prince's good qualities in this book too. It's so refreshing to have a book written by someone who actually knew and cared for the Princess,
and not some remote figure who is playing nothing more than a guessing game about what Diana was really like. Her love of life and exuberant, rebounding spirit, highlighted by Wharfe make me sad once again that she is gone. If you ever read one book about Diana, please let this be the one!

No one has written a better book about Diana, in my opinion. But then, I did not know Diana, so I, of course, have no way of knowing for sure...which is why I do not understand why people pounce on writers who did know her, and who try to paint a true picture of her. Is it better to read books by those who did not know her, or by those who hardly knew her...especially by those who try to either canonize or crucify her? And it's getting very tiresome seeing the royal family attempt to chop off the heads of those who say things they don't want to hear, by using "poor distressed" William and Harry as guillotines, so to speak. Both Diana and Charles have used books to tell the world their stories and their memories. Why should anyone think Inspector Wharfe's memories and stories are not his own "property", but the property of the palace? Maybe the royal family thinks the security people and servants should be part of the woodwork, or sounding boards...not living souls with eyes, emotions, insights and intelligence. And why anyone would be upset by this particular book on Diana is beyond me. I have never seen a writer try so hard not to be unkind to anyone...even those who obviously deserve a kick in the head! Inspector Wharfe comes across as a very intelligent, very perceptive, very kind-hearted man... who has attempted to show his readers the realities of Diana's life and death. He obviously was not only a bodyguard to Diana, but also a sounding board, a friend...and one can even guess--a father figure. If you're into day-to-day reality, this is the book for you. If you want fantasies or hatchet jobs, there are many other books on Diana to choose from here at Amazon. After I finished Patrick Jephson's book "Shadows of a Princess", I thought at the time that would be the last book I would ever read on Princess Diana...unless Ken Wharfe wrote one. Well, Inspector Wharfe did indeed write a book, and I prefer ending my reading on Diana with this book. While Mr. Jephson's book was intelligent and insightful, it also unfortunately was like a cloudy gray day...where neither the rain ever falls nor the sun ever comes out. Inspector Wharfe's book, on the other hand, is like an Autumn day--a mixture of sun and clouds, of heat and cold, of greens, browns, reds...and blues...much like Diana herself. Good job, Inspector Wharfe! I for one appreciate it.

Having read the private secretary's version of employment by Diana, I was more impressed with Ken Wharfe's version, especially impressed by the better writing. (Kudos to the ghostwriter!) Wharfe's not out to backstab and he's not embittered; he's sympathetic, but not a Diana-worshiper. It's a very balanced, very fair presentation of what his employment by the world's most famous (and most unhappily married & emotional) woman was really like. The last chapter, which is a forensic evaluation of what went wrong in Paris on August 31, 1997, and how it could have been prevented, is devastating.