Put off by his hustle, the magazine finally withdrew from negotiations because Sarah would not be interviewed. She wanted her picture featured on the glossy cover but did not want to submit to questions. She phoned the editor, Vicki Woods, to try to change her mind. Miss Woods later wrote that she was exhausted from the round of "hideous telephone calls" she had been receiving from John Bryan.

"Poor you," Sarah told Miss Woods. "I know you think I just see myself as a celebrity... but I'm a serious person and I'm not doing this just so that I can get free Christmas cards or something...."

The editor told the d.u.c.h.ess she could make her own arrangements with the photographer, but the magazine could not pick up the tab without getting an interview from her. Sarah pleaded Palace protocol. She told the editor: "It's always me who has to carry the can; it's always me who gets the blame for this kind of thing; it's always my fault, and I've had enough of it; that's why I want out of the whole thing, so I can get on with my own life.... I'm so tired of carrying the can for all of them. I've been the scapegoat of the Waleses for the past four years."

After the photo shoot, John Bryan called to taunt the editor about the pictures. "This is the hottest set of photos I've dealt with ever," he said. "You really lost out.... We were only ever gonna [sic] do this in our style. She's a G.o.dd.a.m.n pro. She's not some dead, common, f.u.c.king trashy little model."

Over the next sixteen months he jetted from New York to London to Paris, making deals for Her Royal Highness. He tried to sell her as a model, a writer, an amba.s.sador. He courted publishers and producers to sell Budgie-The Little Helicopter Budgie-The Little Helicopter as a television cartoon series. "That property was totally dead when I got hold of it," he recalled. "It had no credibility, n.o.body would deal with it-n.o.body would touch it with a ten-foot pole...." as a television cartoon series. "That property was totally dead when I got hold of it," he recalled. "It had no credibility, n.o.body would deal with it-n.o.body would touch it with a ten-foot pole...."

But he managed to sell Budgie Budgie for television, and then he sold commercial rights to for television, and then he sold commercial rights to Budgie Budgie trinkets: water wings, swimsuits, beach towels, greeting cards, gift wrap, night-lights, lampshades, balloons. The lucrative contract guaranteed the d.u.c.h.ess $3 million, plus a percentage of sales. The British media reported the transaction with a little awe and a lot of envy. trinkets: water wings, swimsuits, beach towels, greeting cards, gift wrap, night-lights, lampshades, balloons. The lucrative contract guaranteed the d.u.c.h.ess $3 million, plus a percentage of sales. The British media reported the transaction with a little awe and a lot of envy.

The Queen Mother heard the news as she sat in her drawing room at Clarence House, sipping a gin and tonic. She would have two more tipples before she picked up the telephone and called the Queen.

"I can a.s.sure you she was not not drunk," said a former butler, offended by the suggestion. "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother does not get drunk. And on that particular evening, she wasn't even tipsy." drunk," said a former butler, offended by the suggestion. "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother does not get drunk. And on that particular evening, she wasn't even tipsy."

The Queen Mother listened carefully to the news report on television: The d.u.c.h.ess of York is set to make eight million pounds [about $12 million]," intoned the broadcaster, "as her book, Budgie-The Little Helicopter, Budgie-The Little Helicopter, takes off on TV channels around the world. The d.u.c.h.ess has sold her book to be made into a television series. She also signed licensing contracts with thirteen American firms to market souvenirs ranging from tableware to lavatory seat covers. takes off on TV channels around the world. The d.u.c.h.ess has sold her book to be made into a television series. She also signed licensing contracts with thirteen American firms to market souvenirs ranging from tableware to lavatory seat covers.

"Lavatory seat covers? Did he say lavatory seat covers?" asked the Queen Mother.

"Yes, ma'am," the butler said with a sigh. "I'm afraid he did."

The Queen Mother motioned for another gin and tonic and requested the day's newspapers. Within minutes her drink was freshened from the table that served as a bar in her living room. Finding the newspaper took a little longer; she rarely read anymore because of the cataract in her left eye. The butler appeared with a copy of the Daily Mail Daily Mail of that day, April 19, 1994, and opened the paper to the story that concerned her. of that day, April 19, 1994, and opened the paper to the story that concerned her.

She remained impa.s.sive as he read aloud the report of the d.u.c.h.ess's weekend visit to Cannes: Sarah had held what she described as a "power dinner" for two hundred key buyers attending the world's largest convention of television programmers.

"I'm absolutely delighted," Sarah was quoted as saying. "I've made merchandising deals all over the world from the little book I wrote in 1989."

The Queen Mother sighed but appeared benignly detached. She had never uttered a word of criticism about Sarah Ferguson-publicly. She had even feigned serenity when she heard about Fergie's clowning at her expense. The boisterous d.u.c.h.ess had been seen tearing through the food halls of Harrods department store in London, where she spotted a biscuit tin bearing the Queen Mother's likeness. She astonished onlookers by banging on the lid and shouting, "Are you in there, dear?"

During monthly planning meetings with her staff, Sarah further rattled sensibilities by referring to the death of the Queen Mother as a way of getting out of engagements she did not want to do. One partic.i.p.ant recalled, "If there was a tricky commitment in the offing, she would say, 'Oh, well, look on the bright side-the Queen Mum might die and we'll have to cancel everything because of mourning.' "

From the pinnacle of public esteem, the Queen Mother gazed down on Sarah Ferguson. On the surface both women shared certain characteristics. Each was a commoner who had married the second son of a monarch to become the d.u.c.h.ess of York; each was the mother of two daughters. Both were friendly, ingratiating, strong-willed women who thrived in the spotlight; both were outrageous flirts who loved being the center of male attention. The d.u.c.h.ess gravitated to young heteros.e.xuals, while the Queen Mother contented herself with elderly h.o.m.os.e.xuals. She called them "my knitting circle" and "the Queen's queens." So indulgent was she toward her high-camp coterie that she once buzzed the Clarence House pantry and said, "When you old queens stop gossiping down there, this old queen up here needs a drink."

The sixty years that separated the Queen Mother from the d.u.c.h.ess of York defined their differences. The older woman was traditional; the younger woman was modern. The former accepted the high price of membership in the royal family; the latter refused to pay the dues. Consequently the Dowager Queen was revered as a royal who retained the common touch; the young d.u.c.h.ess was reviled as merely common.

After the butler had read the Cannes story to the Queen Mother, he handed her the newspaper. But she waved it away in disgust. "Not even Wallis at her worst was this blatant," she said, referring to her implacable enemy, the d.u.c.h.ess of Windsor. She ordered another gin and tonic and picked up the telephone to call her daughter the Queen.

"That was the kiss of death for Fergie," said a Clarence House servant. "You can chart her downfall from that evening."

Most of Sarah's perquisites had already been stripped from her-the royal guards, the royal train, the royal duties, the royal invitations. Deprived of postal privileges, she was no longer allowed to send her letters free. She had been barred from accompanying her husband and their children to Windsor Castle over Easter, but the Queen felt bad about having to exclude her. As Sarah told her father, "I'm not going. Andrew's going. Apparently the Queen wants me, but the rest of the family don't."

Sarah had lost her seat in the royal box at Wimbledon, and her life-size wax figure had been yanked from Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. Denied entry to the royal enclosure at Ascot, she looked pathetic as she stood on the side of the road, clutching the hands of her children and waving to the Queen as she pa.s.sed in her royal carriage. Without Her Majesty's continuing tolerance, the d.u.c.h.ess would lose what little remained of her standing in British society. And she didn't stand a chance of retaining the Queen's affection without the goodwill of the Queen Mother.

Shunned by the Palace, the d.u.c.h.ess soon despaired. She sought help from a psychiatrist. But with no royal protection officers she no longer had privacy, and her psychiatric visits became public. A newspaper photographer followed her to the mental health clinic and snapped pictures of her arriving and leaving.

"It's been terrible," said Fergie. "All I can do is pray to the Lord for help."

At the age of ninety-four, the Queen Mother knew better than to waste time on the d.u.c.h.ess. At this point she was worth only a telephone call. After the Queen Mother had a word with Her Majesty, she felt confident that the family would finally be rid of the troublesome young woman, who later embarra.s.sed them even more by announcing that she had been tested three times for AIDS.

The Queen Mother knew there was still the pesky matter of a divorce settlement, but that was only money. Once it was paid, the d.u.c.h.ess of York would be nothing more than a red-haired footnote to history. The elderly Queen knew better than to get distracted by a sideshow. As the center pole holding up the big tent, she stayed focused on the main event and conserved her dwindling energy for what was happening inside the three-ring circus.

NINETEEN.

The sixty-eight-year-old Earl Spencer was ill with pneumonia in a London hospital, and Diana visited him the day before she left to go skiing in Austria. She hadn't spoken to her father for several months, and when she visited him, she took her children for their softening presence.

Unfortunately, none of the Earl Spencer's other children had been speaking to him at the time of his death. "It is a matter of great regret," said his son, Charles, "that no one was with him when he died." The children had been feuding over the renovations of Althorp and had publicly criticized their father and stepmother for their plans to pay for the $3.5 million restoration. The children had accused the Earl and his wife of flogging the family name and selling off heirlooms, including eleven Van Dyck paintings, to "tart up" the dilapidated estate, as Diana described the redecoration of Althorp. She was particularly incensed when she learned that her father had sold merchandising rights to the j.a.panese to make copies of her wedding dress. She told friends that she was thoroughly disgusted. And she said she was embarra.s.sed by her stepmother's "tacky" decor and her father's "cra.s.s" commercialism. Then the family began slugging it out-on the front pages.

The Earl, who was devoted to his second wife, railed against his children for denigrating their stepmother's efforts to make Althorp profitable. He bitterly singled out Diana.

"I have given Diana a h.e.l.l of a lot of money-between $750,000 and $1.5 million-to invest for Harry," he said, and disclosed Diana's concern about her second son's future. Her firstborn, William, destined to become Prince of Wales and eventually King, was guaranteed immense wealth. But not Harry.

"Diana doesn't understand about money," said her father. "She has no experience. She is too young." He accused all his children of "financial immaturity," said they were spoiled and "ungrateful," and said they did not realize what was involved in running a grand estate.* Soon the children stopped visiting Althorp and stopped speaking to their father. Soon the children stopped visiting Althorp and stopped speaking to their father.

Minutes after Diana learned of his death on Sunday, March 29, 1992, her lady-in-waiting dashed to the luggage room of the Swiss ski resort and removed the black dress, black shoes, and black hat that were customarily packed for royalty in case of death. Diana wanted to return home alone, but her husband insisted on accompanying her. She dug in. "It's too late for you to start pretending now," she snapped. He knew how unacceptable it would be for her to return by herself. But she was adamant that he remain with the children, skiing. She resented his using her father's death to look like a loving husband.

The Prince's private secretary recognized the couple's impa.s.se and called the Queen's private secretary. Only when Her Majesty interceded and called Diana did the Princess agree to return with her husband. The next day she got off the plane, looking red-eyed and stricken with grief.

"There was such dissension surrounding that funeral," said a relative, who ruefully recalled the misleading headline in the Times Times: "Earl Spencer Goes to Rest at Peace with His Family." In truth the family's antipathies had followed the late Earl to his grave. Johnny Spencer's bitter relationship with his father had forced Johnny to move off the family estate. He did not return until his father died. Johnny then repeated the acrimonious behavior in his relationship with his son, Charles, who was estranged from him at the time of his death.

The Spencer children accepted such acrimony as part of their life. They had grown up watching their father reject his his father and their mother reject father and their mother reject her her mother. The children had seen nasty fights between their parents, which did not end with the divorce. Although both parents remarried, they continued to compete for the children's attention and affection by showering them with expensive gifts. "It makes you very materialistic," their son admitted later. mother. The children had seen nasty fights between their parents, which did not end with the divorce. Although both parents remarried, they continued to compete for the children's attention and affection by showering them with expensive gifts. "It makes you very materialistic," their son admitted later.

In his eulogy for the Earl Spencer, Lord St. John of Fawsley tried to make light of the family's discord. "Birds twitter and peck in their nests," he said, "even when they are gilded ones." He a.s.sured the congregation in a little country church in the county of Northamptonshire that the Earl Spencer had loved all his family, especially the Princess of Wales.

Diana's floral wreath to her father was prominently displayed in front of his oak coffin with a card she had inscribed personally: "I miss you dreadfully, Darling Daddy, but will love you forever... Diana." Behind the coffin and barely noticeable was a tribute of flowers from the Prince of Wales, "In most affectionate memory."

In front of the press, the four Spencer children appeared cordial to their stepmother, with Diana reaching sympathetically for her arm at one point. "The sight [of that gesture]... made me feel quite sick," said Sue Ingram, who had worked for Raine Spencer for seventeen years. The a.s.sistant, who was fired by the new young Earl the day after the funeral, recalled what happened behind the scenes. When Raine, who had moved out of Althorp within forty-eight hours of her husband's death to make room for the new heir, sent her maid to collect her clothes, Diana and her brother were waiting.

The maid arrived and packed two Louis Vuitton cases monogrammed with the Spencer "S." Diana stopped her from leaving. "What have you got in there?" she demanded. "Those are my father's cases. They don't belong to you."

The maid explained that Raine had bought the luggage for a trip to j.a.pan to match suitcases with the initials "R.S."

Diana ordered the maid to empty the Vuitton suitcases into black plastic garbage bags. The maid complied, and Diana s.n.a.t.c.hed the suitcases. Her brother kicked the garbage bags down the stairs.

Days later, when Raine returned with a roll of red stickers to identify the pieces of furniture she wanted to move, she was confronted there by her stepson's lawyer. He told her she could not remove one single stick from Althorp until she supplied proof of purchase.

"She had to telephone the new Earl for details of the memorial service [held six weeks later in Westminster Abbey]," said her a.s.sistant, "and he told his solicitor to send her a fax." When her husband's ashes were placed in the Spencer vault, Raine was not invited to the family ceremony.

The last merchandising contract that the Earl Spencer had signed before he died was with the publisher of Diana: Her True Story Diana: Her True Story. Having been a.s.sured that the book would portray his family positively, especially his daughter, he sold the rights to eighty personal photographs from the Spencer family alb.u.ms. This time Diana did not object.

She wanted the photographs to ill.u.s.trate a book, which she hoped would set her free from her marriage. Months before, she had given permission to a few friends to talk with the author, Andrew Morton. Through the eyes of her brother, her best friend, her lover, and her ma.s.seuse, she presented a shattered fairy tale: she had kissed a prince who had turned into a toad. His love for another woman had driven her into bulimia and five attempts at suicide. She had been abandoned by his family, which did not appreciate her efforts to breathe life into their dreary dynasty.

An excerpt from the book ran in the Sunday Times. Sunday Times. Its placement on the front page of the once respected newspaper had elevated its credibility above tabloid t.i.ttle-tattle. And its apparent endors.e.m.e.nt by the Princess of Wales made it even more tantalizing. But it rattled the establishment. The Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, and the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission Its placement on the front page of the once respected newspaper had elevated its credibility above tabloid t.i.ttle-tattle. And its apparent endors.e.m.e.nt by the Princess of Wales made it even more tantalizing. But it rattled the establishment. The Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, and the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission* denounced it as sensational and sordid. The Archbishop of Canterbury said it exceeded the limits of a society claiming to respect human values. Harrods refused to sell it. "Our customers would not expect us to stock such a scurrilous book," said the store's spokesman. The denounced it as sensational and sordid. The Archbishop of Canterbury said it exceeded the limits of a society claiming to respect human values. Harrods refused to sell it. "Our customers would not expect us to stock such a scurrilous book," said the store's spokesman. The Spectator Spectator called it "a farrago of rubbish." called it "a farrago of rubbish."

The book became an instant best-seller, but its author was dismissed by the British press as a former tabloid reporter whose father was a picture framer. From the sn.o.bbish commentary, it appeared that the author had compounded the misfortune of being born working-cla.s.s: he was a republican in a country that revered royalty. "I asked Andrew Morton if he wasn't in danger of killing the golden goose which lays his eggs," said Michael Cole, the BBC's former royal correspondent. "He replied, 'Well, I can quite happily live on the ashes of the House of Windsor for the next twenty years.' "

Only two of Britain's eleven national newspapers ignored the published excerpt. The editor of the Financial Times Financial Times said, "Not our subject matter." The said, "Not our subject matter." The Daily Telegraph Daily Telegraph editor said the subject matter was distasteful. "It's odious," he wrote in the editor said the subject matter was distasteful. "It's odious," he wrote in the Spectator, Spectator, explaining why he would not permit coverage. The explaining why he would not permit coverage. The Telegraph, Telegraph, sometimes called the sometimes called the Torygraph, Torygraph, is the royal family's favorite newspaper, and its editor, Max Hastings, is a close friend of Prince Andrew. "The tabloid reporting of the Wales marriage," Hastings wrote, "makes lager louts look like gentlemen." is the royal family's favorite newspaper, and its editor, Max Hastings, is a close friend of Prince Andrew. "The tabloid reporting of the Wales marriage," Hastings wrote, "makes lager louts look like gentlemen."

The morning the excerpt appeared, the Prince of Wales was reeling. "I'd say he was close to a panic," recalled his Highgrove housekeeper. Over breakfast Charles had read the serialization that his press secretary had faxed from London. Charles had known that a Diana-inspired book was going to be published, but he'd a.s.sumed that it would be nothing more than a self-serving account of her good works, plus pretty pictures. He was not prepared for her a.s.sault on him as a man, a father, and a husband.

When he finished reading, he left the table and went to Diana's room with the excerpts in hand. Like Richard III, he had one question for his wife: "Why dost thou spit at me?" Diana later compared their confrontation to the scene in The G.o.dfather The G.o.dfather where Al Pacino berates Diane Keaton for humiliating him by trying to break free of their marriage. This was not the first time Diana compared the monarchy to the Mafia. "The only difference," she told her cousin, "is these muggers wear crowns." Minutes after Charles stormed out of her room, she left Highgrove in tears. Although she had denied having a hand in the book, he knew better. where Al Pacino berates Diane Keaton for humiliating him by trying to break free of their marriage. This was not the first time Diana compared the monarchy to the Mafia. "The only difference," she told her cousin, "is these muggers wear crowns." Minutes after Charles stormed out of her room, she left Highgrove in tears. Although she had denied having a hand in the book, he knew better.

"I can just hear her saying those things," he told his private secretary, Richard Aylard. "Those are her words, exactly."

Diana's grandmother Ruth, Lady Fermoy visited Highgrove a few days later to console Charles. He embraced the frail eighty-three-year-old woman and asked her to walk with him in the garden. "Ruth never forgave Diana for causing the separation," said Lady Fermoy's G.o.dchild. "She felt that Diana had brought shame to her family by not remaining within her marriage. She didn't speak to Diana until the last few days of her life, and even then, Ruth told me, she could not forgive her for betraying the monarchy."

Charles was stunned that his wife had had the nerve to break the royal code of silence by revealing his mistress. Diana went further by calling Camilla "the Rottweiler" and describing her as a killer dog that had sunk her teeth into the Waleses' marriage and wouldn't let go. Television star Joan Collins said she wanted to star in a TV special of the royal soap opera: "I could play Camilla Parker Bowles," she said. "I could ugly up for that." The press unkindly described Camilla as "plain-faced" and "looking like her horse." The Scottish Herald Scottish Herald sniffed, "She smokes, she jokes, and is capable of dressing for dinner after a day in the saddle without pausing to have a bath." The revelation that the Prince of Wales had long been in love with her so upset the public that when she went to the grocery, angry shoppers pelted her with bread rolls. sniffed, "She smokes, she jokes, and is capable of dressing for dinner after a day in the saddle without pausing to have a bath." The revelation that the Prince of Wales had long been in love with her so upset the public that when she went to the grocery, angry shoppers pelted her with bread rolls.

Charles had dismissed his wife's rantings about his mistress as adolescent jealousy. He didn't understand Diana's despair or her need to strike back. He had expected her to accept her loveless marriage in exchange for the privilege of being the Princess of Wales. He was taken aback when she balked and he felt mauled by the book that made him look like a beast. Quickly the Palace went to his defense.

Sir Robert Fellowes phoned Diana before she left Highgrove. "I need to know the extent of your partic.i.p.ation," he said sternly. His marriage to Diana's sister Jane had strained family relations on occasion. Diana replied tearfully that she had never met the author or granted him an interview. Her trembling voice convinced her brother-in-law that she was telling the truth. He didn't realize that she was simply panicked by the uproar that she had caused.

But she was rattled only momentarily. She later told one of her astrologers that she had no regrets about her decision to cooperate because her husband did not deserve to be protected by silence-least of all, she argued, because he was the Prince of Wales. "He's supposed to be a paragon to people," she said. "He's going to be the G.o.dd.a.m.ned Defender of the Faith." After eleven years of marriage she had decided his infidelity deserved to be exposed. By entering into marriage, Robert Louis Stevenson had warned, "you have willfully introduced a witness into your life... and can no longer close the mind's eye upon uncomely pa.s.sages, but must stand up straight and put a name upon your actions." If Charles wouldn't, Diana would. But even she was startled by what she had wrought.

She was appalled by the degree of detail in the book, and she felt betrayed by her brother, who had described her as a liar. He said she was someone who "had difficulty telling the truth purely because she liked to embellish things." He recalled, "On the school run one day, the vicar's wife stopped the car and said: 'Diana Spencer, if you tell one more lie like that, I am going to make you walk home.' " He related that one of her school reports a.s.serted, "Diana Spencer is the most scheming little girl I have ever met."

She was also taken aback by James Gilbey's remarks in the book, which she thought made her look like a suicidal maniac. She knew that Gilbey had spoken only with her approval and her best interests at heart, but she was dismayed by the pitiful picture of her that he painted. After publication, she closed the book on him.

Diana's a.s.surances that she had had nothing to do with the book prompted the Queen's private secretary to fire off several protests to the Press Complaints Commission. He also drafted a public statement for her, disavowing the "preposterous" claims of her partic.i.p.ation. He told her that anything short of an official denunciation would not be convincing. The public was prepared to believe the worst based on what they had read and seen in the past year.

Months before, Prince William was accidentally hit on the head with a golf club, which fractured his skull, necessitating emergency surgery. Diana, who was at San Lorenzo restaurant when she received the news, hurried to her son's side and spent two nights in the hospital with him until he could come home. Charles visited him for a few minutes after his surgery but did not otherwise interrupt his schedule. He said he had to attend a performance of Tosca. Tosca. The press was appalled. "What Kind of a Dad Are You?" shrieked a The press was appalled. "What Kind of a Dad Are You?" shrieked a Sun Sun headline. Jean Rook in the headline. Jean Rook in the Daily Express Daily Express asked: "What sort of father of an eight-year-old boy, nearly brained by a golf club, leaves the hospital before knowing the outcome for a night at the opera?" asked: "What sort of father of an eight-year-old boy, nearly brained by a golf club, leaves the hospital before knowing the outcome for a night at the opera?"

Charles blamed Diana for making him look like a callous parent. Feeling slightly chastened, he made a point a few weeks later of being photographed riding a bicycle with his sons, but Diana told the press that Charles left the boys twenty-four hours later to go to a polo match. Jean Rook accused Charles of treating his sons like "well-fed pets who know their place in the world of their utterly self-involved parent. Certainly, it must hurt William and Harry to see their father more often on TV than in the flesh."

Photos appeared of Charles going to church with his sons at Sandringham, but when someone in the crowd asked him where the Princess was, he replied with a strained smile, "She's not here today, so you can get your money back."

Other photographs had also indicated friction between the couple. On a royal tour of India, Diana was shown sitting by herself in front of the Taj Mahal. That sad picture (which some reporters said was staged by the Princess) recalled Prince Charles's visit to India before his wedding. He had promised to bring his bride back to the seventeenth-century temple, a world-renowned monument to eternal love. But when he brought Diana in 1992 for a four-day tour, they were not speaking. They had arrived in India on separate planes; he flew from Oman, and she flew from London. They followed separate schedules. They stayed in separate suites on different floors of the hotel in New Delhi and communicated through their staffs. They smiled only in front of the cameras.

Then came a picture of Diana in front of the Pyramids-alone again. She had let it be known that while she was traveling on an official tour of Egypt, her husband was vacationing in Turkey with his mistress. More pictures followed of Charles playing polo while Diana visited leper colonies; Charles shooting birds at Sandringham while Diana consoled cancer patients in Liverpool; Charles partying with the Sultan of Brunei, the world's richest man, while Diana conferred with Mother Teresa, who ministered to the world's poorest people.

The Palace tried to counteract the discordant images of the Waleses and their marriage, but new disclosures kept popping up like frogs from a swamp. When police constable Andrew Jacques, a guard at Highgrove, disclosed that the Prince and Princess led separate lives, the Palace dismissed his story as tabloid fiction. The constable, who worked at Highgrove for four years, stood firm. "The only time they meet up is at mealtimes," he said, "and very often that ends in a blazing row for all to hear." He revealed that Prince Charles slept alone in one bedroom (with his childhood teddy bear in bed with him), while the Princess slept by herself in the master bedroom. "They never smile, laugh, or do anything together.... In four years, I only ever saw him kiss her good-bye once, and that was a peck on the cheek."

Predictably, the establishment press called upon peerage expert Harold Brooks-Baker to respond to the constable's a.s.sertions, and, as always, the American-born royalist complied. "You can't break down a marriage that's been put up the way the press has put this one up," the peerage expert told The New York Times. The New York Times. "The press made a lot out of the fact that they were apart on her thirtieth birthday last month, but very little out of the fact that on the following weekend she and her husband were together; there was a birthday cake, and he gave her a lovely bracelet." "The press made a lot out of the fact that they were apart on her thirtieth birthday last month, but very little out of the fact that on the following weekend she and her husband were together; there was a birthday cake, and he gave her a lovely bracelet."

The former housekeeper of Highgrove disclosed that the gift from Charles was paste. In a diary she kept while working for the Prince and Princess of Wales, she noted that when Diana found out, she burst into tears. The Princess, accustomed to being consoled with expensive gifts, was distraught that her husband bestowed a diamond necklace on his mistress but gave her only costume jewelry. The housekeeper quoted Diana as saying: "I don't want his b.l.o.o.d.y fake jewels. I thought cheating husbands took great care to keep their wives sweet with the real things, saving the tawdry stuff for their tarts."

For her thirtieth birthday Charles offered to throw a party. But Diana didn't want to celebrate with him. So she said no and celebrated privately with her lover, James Hewitt, who had recently returned from the Gulf War. Charles was stung by press accusations that he had neglected the occasion of his wife's birthday, so he dispatched a friend to call Nigel Dempster to set the record straight. The gossip columnist obliged with a front-page story in the Daily Mail Daily Mail about the Prince's loving gesture. Diana responded the next day through a friend, who told the about the Prince's loving gesture. Diana responded the next day through a friend, who told the Sun Sun that the Princess did not want a grand ball filled with her husband's "stuffy friends." that the Princess did not want a grand ball filled with her husband's "stuffy friends."

Princess Anne, disgusted by the newspaper sparring, confronted Diana about turning her marriage into a media free-for-all. "Before you joined, there were hardly any leaks," said the Princess Royal. "Now the ship is so full of holes, it's no wonder that it's sinking."

Diana stared hard at her sister-in-law without saying a word. But Anne didn't flinch.

"I wouldn't go telling too many tall tales if I were you," she warned. "They might just come back to haunt you one day."

After Anne's rebuke, Diana became convinced that the entire royal family was against her. She decided then to cooperate with Andrew Morton by giving her friends permission to talk to him about her dismal marriage. "Do what you think is best," she told her friends when they called her about the book. She made sure that nothing was said to the author about her love affair with James Hewitt.

Upon publication she could hardly disavow the book, so when Robert Fellowes called and read her the statement he had drafted for release, she withheld her approval. He insisted that she publicly disapprove the book, but she said, "I cannot be held responsible for what my friends say."

Waiting for the Princess to respond, the editor of the Sunday Times Sunday Times was getting jumpy. "We thought she would break under all the pressure," recalled Andrew Neil. "We would not have been surprised had she committed suicide at that point. She was that unstable. was getting jumpy. "We thought she would break under all the pressure," recalled Andrew Neil. "We would not have been surprised had she committed suicide at that point. She was that unstable.

"Initially, I did not believe the book. Not for a minute. The Princess of Wales suffering from bulimia, throwing up in toilets, and attempting suicide? Impossible. But I grilled Andrew Morton, demanded to have the names of his sources, and independently interviewed all of them. Once I was satisfied the book was accurate, I decided to go with it, provided the two major sources, Carolyn Bartholomew and James Gilbey, signed affidavits backing up what they had said was true."

The newspaper's sensational excerpt appeared on the morning of June 7, 1992. That afternoon the Queen invited Camilla Parker Bowles and her husband to join the royal family in their box at Windsor to watch a polo match. Diana saw the gesture as one more kick in the teeth. Privately she questioned the Queen's sensitivity. "If she wants this marriage to work, why won't she help by acting like a decent mother-in-law?"

The next day the editor of the Sunday Telegraph Sunday Telegraph said the editor of the said the editor of the Sunday Times Sunday Times was a scandal-monger who deserved to be horsewhipped. Andrew Neil published James Gilbey's statement: was a scandal-monger who deserved to be horsewhipped. Andrew Neil published James Gilbey's statement: "I can confirm that the Princess discussed with me on numerous occasions her attempted suicides, as she has done with other close friends."

The Sunday Times Sunday Times editor said he knew the monarchy was beginning to crumble when he received calls of support from aristocrats like Alan Clark, a former Tory minister of state. "It's a shame," Clark told Andrew Neil, "but no great loss. The royal family is just a bunch of pasty-faced Germans." editor said he knew the monarchy was beginning to crumble when he received calls of support from aristocrats like Alan Clark, a former Tory minister of state. "It's a shame," Clark told Andrew Neil, "but no great loss. The royal family is just a bunch of pasty-faced Germans."

An avalanche of news stories, editorials, and television commentaries questioned what was once accepted as una.s.sailable-the future of the monarchy and whether Britain really needed a royal family. There were even questions about the dutiful monarch, who lavished more attention on her dogs and horses than on her children. Public opinion polls showed overwhelming support for the Princess, especially among American women. People People magazine, whose twenty million weekly readers are predominantly female, put her on forty-one covers in sixteen years; and the issue featuring her with an excerpt from Morton's book was the best-selling cover in the magazine's history. The American writer Camille Paglia proclaimed the Princess a twentieth-century icon: "Diana may have become the most powerful image in world popular culture today." magazine, whose twenty million weekly readers are predominantly female, put her on forty-one covers in sixteen years; and the issue featuring her with an excerpt from Morton's book was the best-selling cover in the magazine's history. The American writer Camille Paglia proclaimed the Princess a twentieth-century icon: "Diana may have become the most powerful image in world popular culture today."

Frustrated aides in the Palace press office strained to be civil. Their original denunciation of the book had been unequivocal: "outrageously irresponsible." Now they backtracked. "We have no further comment at this time." Their accents became more clipped, as if cut-gla.s.s enunciation would ward off further questions.

As the press office was trying to deflect questions about the extramarital affair of the Prince of Wales, an internal memo surfaced that ill.u.s.trated the standard of behavior the Queen expected from her servants. Her estate manager at Balmoral had issued a "gentle reminder" to any employee engaged in an illicit love affair. The reminder threatened eviction from Her Majesty's premises. "If you're living in sin," warned the Queen's manager, "you could lose your home." The Palace tried to dissociate itself from the tone. "Any correspondence on whatever is going on up there is totally private," said a press a.s.sistant. But Diana said the Queen should send a "gentle reminder" like that to her son. Although she had plenty to say about Morton's book privately, Diana said nothing publicly. With no response from her, the editor of the Sunday Times Sunday Times was worried. "I didn't know what to do to restore our credibility," said Andrew Neil. Within hours he was saved by an anonymous female caller. She told the Press a.s.sociation, England's national news agency, that the Princess of Wales would be visiting the home of Carolyn Bartholomew. A photograph of Diana embracing her friend, a major source of information in the book, put the lie to skeptics. was worried. "I didn't know what to do to restore our credibility," said Andrew Neil. Within hours he was saved by an anonymous female caller. She told the Press a.s.sociation, England's national news agency, that the Princess of Wales would be visiting the home of Carolyn Bartholomew. A photograph of Diana embracing her friend, a major source of information in the book, put the lie to skeptics.

When the picture was published, Sir Robert Fellowes knew he had been deceived by Diana. Having inaccurately rea.s.sured the Queen that Diana had had nothing to do with the book, he now offered the Queen his resignation, but Her Majesty turned it down. She summoned Charles and Diana to Windsor on June 15, 1992, for a family conference. With self-preservation on her mind, she insisted on a public show of unity, beginning with the Royal Ascot. Her husband objected. "Why the b.l.o.o.d.y pretense?" he snapped. "Let's be done with it." But the Queen had seen the crowds cheering Diana days before and waving placards: "Diana, We Love You" and "G.o.d Bless the Princess of Wales." The Queen knew those crowds would be angry if Diana was not part of the royal family's traditional carriage procession into Ascot. She stressed the importance of not disappointing people. Turning to Diana, she said, "Do you understand?"

Diana did not have the nerve-then-to openly defy the Queen, so she did as she was told. "I know my duty," she said, lowering her eyes. When the crowds saw her riding with the Queen Mother in the carriage, behind the Queen and Prince Charles, they roared wildly and gave the second coach more applause than the first. The Duke of Edinburgh scowled.

"He openly snubbed Diana that day," said reporter James Whitaker. "When she walked into the royal box, Philip turned away and would not speak to her. She sat by herself as he buried his nose in the program. He did not look up or acknowledge her presence, but she didn't seem particularly to care."

When someone mentioned the Duke's rebuff, Diana shrugged and said, "The man has the warmth of a snow pea." She was buoyed by the rousing cheers she had received, but her elation later evaporated as her confidence sagged.

During the meeting at Windsor Castle, the Queen had asked Diana what she wanted. "A legal separation," she replied. Instead the Queen recommended a cooling-off period. "We'll revisit the subject in six months," she said, adding that she expected the couple to proceed with their long-standing plan to tour South Korea. They agreed, but the trip was a public relations disaster. Diplomatic cables indicate almost as much tension between Charles and Diana as between North and South Korea. Press photos supported the top-secret cables flying back and forth from Seoul to London: they showed a dour Prince and a grim Princess, who clearly despised each other.

When the Queen saw the pictures, she called her son. "Charles, I don't understand," she said. The implication was that he was not trying hard enough.

"Don't you realize she's mad?" he said angrily. "She's mad!"

Before the Queen could respond, Charles had hung up on his mother.

Upon their return to England, Diana told friends that she did not think her husband was fit to be King. In the past she had said she knew she would never become Queen and that Charles would ascend to the throne without her. Now she questioned his ability to reign. She said she based her a.s.sessment on her instincts and her intimate knowledge of her husband. This raised questions about Charles, who was remembered as a shy little boy who always seemed fretful. Was he too timid to become King? asked an editorial under the headline "Unfaithful AND AND Reluctant?" Reluctant?"

Charles wanted to respond but didn't know how best to defend himself. His zealous equerry urged him to cooperate with the journalist Jonathan Dimbleby on a book about his life. So the Prince decided to give the respected journalist unprecedented access to his private diaries and letters. The biography, to be preceded by an exclusive television interview, was timed to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Charles's invest.i.ture as Prince of Wales.

Such anniversaries gave the royal family opportunities to celebrate themselves with stirring parades and fireworks. But in 1992 the Queen, then in her fortieth anniversary* year on the throne, canceled plans for a grandiose celebration. She stopped the fund-raising for a $3.6 million fountain that had been planned in Parliament Square and said no to a military parade. "The past year is not one I shall look back on with undiluted pleasure," she said in a speech. "In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an year on the throne, canceled plans for a grandiose celebration. She stopped the fund-raising for a $3.6 million fountain that had been planned in Parliament Square and said no to a military parade. "The past year is not one I shall look back on with undiluted pleasure," she said in a speech. "In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis. annus horribilis." One newspaper headlined her remarks: "One's b.u.m Year." Another criticized her for using Latin to express travesties made all too plain in English throughout the year: January: January: Publication of photos of the d.u.c.h.ess of York and Steve Wyatt on vacation in Morocco. The Palace denies there is a problem in the Yorks' marriage. Publication of photos of the d.u.c.h.ess of York and Steve Wyatt on vacation in Morocco. The Palace denies there is a problem in the Yorks' marriage. February: February: The Princess of Wales is criticized as unpatriotic when she exchanges her British-made Jaguar for a German-made Mercedes. "This is another example of the royal family showing contempt for British workers," says Dennis Skinner, a Labor MP. "They live off the fat of the land with taxpayers' money coming from British workers, and then they spit in their faces." At the Queen's insistence, Diana gives up the Mercedes-seven months later. The Princess of Wales is criticized as unpatriotic when she exchanges her British-made Jaguar for a German-made Mercedes. "This is another example of the royal family showing contempt for British workers," says Dennis Skinner, a Labor MP. "They live off the fat of the land with taxpayers' money coming from British workers, and then they spit in their faces." At the Queen's insistence, Diana gives up the Mercedes-seven months later. March: March: The Palace announces the separation of the Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of York. The Palace announces the separation of the Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of York. April: April: After three years' separation, Princess Anne divorces Captain Mark Phillips. A paternity suit filed against Phillips by a New Zealand teacher who claimed she conceived after "a one-night stand" is settled. Without acknowledging fatherhood, Phillips agrees to pay the mother an undisclosed sum of money for "equestrian consulting services." After three years' separation, Princess Anne divorces Captain Mark Phillips. A paternity suit filed against Phillips by a New Zealand teacher who claimed she conceived after "a one-night stand" is settled. Without acknowledging fatherhood, Phillips agrees to pay the mother an undisclosed sum of money for "equestrian consulting services." May: May: A love affair is reported between Princess Anne, forty-two, and thirty-seven-year-old Navy Commander Timothy Laurence. That prompts one newspaper columnist to exclaim, "Not Again, Anne!" Another warns: "Keep Your Hands off the Hired Help." The Palace denies the Princess is involved with her equerry. Seven months later she marries him in Scotland, where divorce is permitted. Some courtiers deem the match unsuitable, not because the royal bride is divorced, but because the bridegroom on his great-great-great-grandfather's side was Jewish. In 1826 the Laurence family had changed their name from Levy. Almost two centuries later this still prompts comment. One royal correspondent wrote, "One could not avoid the idea... [of]... his Jewish ancestors." A love affair is reported between Princess Anne, forty-two, and thirty-seven-year-old Navy Commander Timothy Laurence. That prompts one newspaper columnist to exclaim, "Not Again, Anne!" Another warns: "Keep Your Hands off the Hired Help." The Palace denies the Princess is involved with her equerry. Seven months later she marries him in Scotland, where divorce is permitted. Some courtiers deem the match unsuitable, not because the royal bride is divorced, but because the bridegroom on his great-great-great-grandfather's side was Jewish. In 1826 the Laurence family had changed their name from Levy. Almost two centuries later this still prompts comment. One royal correspondent wrote, "One could not avoid the idea... [of]... his Jewish ancestors." June: June: Prince Edward, the Queen's twenty-eight-year-old son, denies again that he's h.o.m.os.e.xual. He then denies that he issued the denial, which prompts a Prince Edward, the Queen's twenty-eight-year-old son, denies again that he's h.o.m.os.e.xual. He then denies that he issued the denial, which prompts a Washington Post Washington Post columnist to observe, "The youngest son gets by far the best press, by Windsorian standards, which means that he merely needs to spend every second Tuesday denying in print that he is a woman." columnist to observe, "The youngest son gets by far the best press, by Windsorian standards, which means that he merely needs to spend every second Tuesday denying in print that he is a woman." July: July: Diana's ma.s.seur tells the press Diana wants to end "the inherent deceit, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction" of her marriage. "The situation has to end," says Stephen Twigg, who visited Kensington Palace regularly for three years to give the Princess holistic ma.s.sages. "Otherwise there will be a tragedy." Hours later Diana fires the therapist. Diana's ma.s.seur tells the press Diana wants to end "the inherent deceit, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction" of her marriage. "The situation has to end," says Stephen Twigg, who visited Kensington Palace regularly for three years to give the Princess holistic ma.s.sages. "Otherwise there will be a tragedy." Hours later Diana fires the therapist. August: August: Newspaper photos show Sarah Ferguson topless with John Bryan in the South of France. Days later the Newspaper photos show Sarah Ferguson topless with John Bryan in the South of France. Days later the Sun Sun publishes a tape-recorded telephone call between Diana and James Gilbey in which she complains about her treatment from the royal family. "My life is torture," she says. "b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. And after all I've done for this f.u.c.king family." publishes a tape-recorded telephone call between Diana and James Gilbey in which she complains about her treatment from the royal family. "My life is torture," she says. "b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. And after all I've done for this f.u.c.king family." September: September: The Palace denies there is a problem in the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The Palace denies there is a problem in the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. October: October: The Queen is booed in Germany. Residents of Dresden throw eggs at her limousine shortly after the British unveil a statue in London to honor the memory of Air Chief Marshal Arthur "Bomber" Harris, who directed the fire-bombing of Dresden during World War II. The Queen is booed in Germany. Residents of Dresden throw eggs at her limousine shortly after the British unveil a statue in London to honor the memory of Air Chief Marshal Arthur "Bomber" Harris, who directed the fire-bombing of Dresden during World War II.

"November brought the worst," said the Queen. On Friday morning, November 20, 1992, the skies over Windsor Castle filled with orange b.a.l.l.s of flame etched with black clouds of acrid smoke. A fire, started by a lamp that ignited the curtains in the Queen's private chapel, threatened to destroy what Samuel Pepys called "the most romantic castle in the world." Instead of sounding fire alarms, the staff called the castle switchboard for help. Prince Andrew, who was staying at Windsor for the weekend, rushed to save his mother's treasures. He joined the human chain of employees who pa.s.sed pictures and tables and clocks from hand to hand until they were safe from destruction. Firemen poured a million and a half gallons of water on the structure, but the fire burned for fifteen hours.

"The Queen is devastated, absolutely devastated," Andrew told CNN television shortly after his mother arrived from London. "She is helping to take stuff out of the castle-works of art. She has been in there for thirty minutes."

Charles arrived the next day to survey the damage. He called it "a tragedy," then left for a shooting party at Sandringham. The Queen's other children, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, did not show up at all.

The sixty-six-year-old monarch looked worn and beleaguered as she tramped through the charred remains. Of all her royal residences, Windsor Castle, the symbol of her dynasty, was her favorite. It was where she had lived as a child during World War II. It also was the main repository of her art, considered the most important private collection in the world. Her holdings included works by Rembrandt, da Vinci, Holbein, Rubens, and Vermeer, as well as priceless porcelain, tapestries, furniture, and armor from William the Conqueror.