Diana: A Princess and Her Troubled Marriage

The disintegration of the seemingly splendid 1979 marriage of Lady Diana Spencer and the Prince of Wales is told in intimate detail in this unauthorized biography of Diana by British journalist Davies. A polo-playing pal of the prince who reputedly has had access to the couple's entourage, Davies quotes Charles's alleged remark that ``there was no way to make the marriage work.'' He traces Diana's life as a shy child of an unhappy marriage to her meeting with Charles at 18, blissful courtship, betrothal and widely publicized nuptials, followed by trying years of adjustment to the duties of royalty. Despite the birth of two heirs, the couple's growing estrangement drove both of them to seek solace in separate interests, abodes and bedrooms, and in mutually exclusive company--and, in the case of intellectual Charles, in refuge from Diana's frivolity and indiscretions. Royalty buffs will relish the book; scandal-seekers will be disappointed by this compassionate story of two lonely people and an uneasy monarchy. Photos not seen by PW. First serial to National Enquirer. (Aug.)