I slogged my way through almost half of this book before admitting to myself that I just don't care that much about Princess Diana. 'Dianaworld' touts itself as a sociological exploration of the phenomenon that continues to surround Diana to this day. And I managed to get halfway through, pushing myself to read pages and pages of paragraphs that really could have used cutting down because ultimately, they were all saying the same thing - 'look at how insane her life was, look at how she was treated, maybe she deserved it??' I'm not really sure what I was expecting out of this, but it felt like I was reading an academic textbook, that's how dense it was. I think part of the problem comes from trying to encapsulate all the perspectives of this one person's life into one book, it's basically impossible without it becoming a tome. Obviously, if you're a Diana fan / more likely superfan, you're going to eat this book up. But for me, I'm mostly irritated I spent so long trying to read something I'd ultimately not finish.

Dianaworld details the phenomenon behind Princess Diana. She has been idolised by many and seen as an icon as well as one of the most memorable members of the royal family. Dianaworld describes who Diana was and her legacy whilst also discussing the press, the Royals, the British aristocracy, the ethnic minority community and the LGBTQ+ community.

This was really good and I enjoyed reading it. I’m giving this 4.5 stars rounded up to a 5. Personally, I was born after Princess Diana died so I never understood why people loved her so much but after reading this book I do. It’s clear now that people project what they want onto the image/legacy of Diana. I really enjoyed the parts about the press and the political sections. The truth is Diana was part of an aristocracy and we can never know what she would think of certain events/communities. This book makes a great point that Diana was someone who wanted a traditional conservative family. She did many great things but we can never know how she would be perceived in today’s society if she was still alive. This book touched on conspiracy theories (and effectively debunked them) and I really liked how balanced this felt. It wasn’t against Diana/the royals but it also wasn’t for them. This was a great read and I think an important one when you consider the place of the Royal family today. This book also had pictures in it which I liked and had never seen before.

Beyond excited for this beautiful reflective novel on Princess Diana. I could truly never get enough info on one of the world’s most lasting iconic figures and I know readers and fellow Diana lovers will delight in this title as well.