Following the tragic and sudden death of the Princess in August 1997, the book has been fully revised to contain new material and photographs and is designed to stand as a tribute to her. Particular credit should go to scripter Stephen Zito, who made a major contribution with his fine adaptation of the Morton book.ĭirector Kevin Connor and producer Martin Poll kept the ambitious project on track and focused on the emotional core of the piece.Originally published in 1992, this biography was produced with the full co-operation and input of the Princess. A man who has no choice but to play by the rules, despite an underlying sensitive and vulnerable nature, Charles is portrayed by David Threlfall in a captivating performance as an almost Shakespearean prince.īut Charles is a thoroughly modern prince, whose tragedy is not written in blood or war, but in the tabloid headlines and the battle of competing publicists with his schoolgirl wife. However, Prince Charles, long-suffering heir to the throne, emerges as the truly tragic figure in the piece.
The story is told from the point of view of Princess Diana as she struggles to overcome not only rejection by her husband and demands from the royal family but her own emotional frailties that lead to numerous suicide attempts, bulimia and devastating mood swings. It is ironic that Queen Elizabeth, who was devastated by the abdication of her uncle, the Duke of Windsor, because of his love for divorced commoner, must preside over the dilution of the monarchy because of the marital difficulties of her own children, most prominently Charles. Their story becomes a classic drama, a clash of love and the pursuit of personal happiness against the crushing duties of the crown. The marriage is in trouble from the beginning, as Diana’s naive expectations are crushed and Charles is bewildered by the unhappiness of his new bride, who apparently was ill-prepared for the fishbowl life of the royal family. Despite his love for Camilla Parker-Bowles (Elizabeth Garvie), Charles accedes to the wishes of his mother and becomes engaged to Diana (Thomas), who’s only 19 and barely past her school days.
Charles (Threlfall), as portrayed in this program, is under extreme pressure from the Queen (Anne Stallybrass) to marry and produce an heir.
0 kommentar(er)
