‘Diana In Her Own Words’ Explores The ‘People’s Princess’ In Her Own Words, At A Very Difficult Time
There is, currently, no shortage of Princess Diana documentaries airing on various cable networks — mostly in honor of her death anniversary — but none of them have, to date, been told by her in her own voice. That will all change, however, when Diana: In Her Own Words premieres on the National Geographic Channel on Monday, August 14.
In a press release, Executive Producer and Peabody Award-winning, Emmy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker and journalist Tom Jennings took the opportunity to have the late Princess of Wales tell her story the way she wanted to tell it. In Diana: In Her Own Words, Jennings took a rare, never-before-heard recording from 1991, where the Princess was at the height of stress and media scrutiny.
“In vivid detail, Princess Diana reflects upon the full story of her life, depicting her circumstances in 1991. She candidly takes viewers from her unhappy childhood to her awkward introduction to HRH Prince of Wales when she was just 16 years old, and the dramatic tale of a young girl thrust upon the world’s stage. Hounded by the press and embraced by a nation captivated by the ‘fairy-tale’ romance, she was completely unprepared for the fame that engulfed her.”
Jennings produced the documentary for his own 1895 Films.
The Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge will attend @EdinburghTattoo The Royal Edinburgh Military Tatoo @edinburghcastle on 16th August. pic.twitter.com/JQoqd2ztwd
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) August 10, 2017
Diana: In Her Own Words is based off an original recording by royal biographer Andrew Morton. According to People Magazine, Morton released an updated version of the definitive Diana biography called — much like the documentary — Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words.
In an interview with the outlet, Morton said that he was able to get unprecedented access to Diana thanks to Dr. James Colthurst, who would courier the tapes that Diana made to Morton while he was still a journalist over at the Daily Star, News of the World, and Daily Mail.
“It was like being transported into a parallel universe, the Princess talking about her unhappiness, her sense of betrayal, her suicide attempts and two things I had never previously heard of: bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder, and a woman called Camilla,” Morton said.
His Royal Highness may still attend events alongside The Queen from time to time. pic.twitter.com/qnamtDptM0
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) August 2, 2017
Prior to producing Diana: In Her Own Words, Tom Jennings started his career as a print journalist, writing for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and Associated Press, and in 1994, he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in journalism. He has written, produced and directed more than 400 hours of programming on a variety of topics, including politics, religion, history, crime, sports, mystery, and travel. He has produced documentary films all around the globe and has looked for new ways to tell stories that are informative and entertaining.
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[Featured Image by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images]
