Diana and James Hewitt


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Sandy, it sounds as if you may have read the book, which relatively few people here have done, or will talk about. Can you comment further on it ?

I did not read it, but I read excerpts from Diana biographies and it is so saccharine. The excerpts sounded like A Danielle Steel novel. Love and War was a sort of sequel that was an effort to make more money. I did not read it nor see much of it described in books.
 
Pasternak impressed me. A question that might be asked is why those interested in Diana to this day, would choose to snub over material that presents a more intimate side of those years. In particular, the reader is rewarded to find what were long standing dark clouds, depression, and poor health lifting for the better, bulimia addressed by Hewitt, and vitality returning. Pasternak did an excellent job portraying that, in a way that common people could sense and experience.

Isn't that the reason it moved quickly from shelves when first released ?

You really think it sold well because it was such a good book??? It sold because it was scandalous. Hewitt had done something completely unprecedented in assisting a book which revealed his affair with a woman who was a member of the RF.. and of course there were people who would buy the book just as there were people who would read articles about the affair in the papers. But it was generally held to be badly written by an inexperienced writer . And how on earth could it be very good when As far as I know Pasternak had no contact with Diana and only knew whatever JH told her? I dont think its that hard to understand that his behaviour was completely selifsh and mercenary, selling out the woman he claimed to love for money
 
You really think it sold well because it was such a good book??? It sold because it was scandalous. Hewitt had done something completely unprecedented in assisting a book which revealed his affair with a woman who was a member of the RF.. and of course there were people who would buy the book just as there were people who would read articles about the affair in the papers. But it was generally held to be badly written by an inexperienced writer . And how on earth could it be very good when As far as I know Pasternak had no contact with Diana and only knew whatever JH told her? I dont think its that hard to understand that his behaviour was completely selifsh and mercenary, selling out the woman he claimed to love for money

Surely, some initial interest was sparked from the buzz and hype in the air of scandal, but after a few pages are turned that isn't the focus as much as the love story that emerges, more than anything else.. Of course, the press ripped it from that angle as well, comparing in the style of 'Mills and Boon' , which apparently came across as similar..it didn't cause me to feel squeamish when I read, but maybe for others. And remember it was the publisher that forced Pasternak's hand to convert to pure love story and given a deadline to finish. Not a trifle when you consider authors like Danielle Steele can take two to three years.. to complete their project, versus a few months.
 
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Surely, some initial interest was sparked from the buzz and hype in the air of scandal, but after a few pages are turned that isn't the focus as much as the love story that emerges, more than anything else.. Of course, the press ripped it from that angle as well, comparing in the style of 'Mills and Boon' , which apparently came across as similar..it didn't cause me to feel squeamish when I read, but maybe for others. And remember it was the publisher that forced Pasternak's hand to convert to pure love story and given a deadline to finish. Not a trifle when you consider authors like Danielle Steele can take two to three years.. to complete their project, versus a few months.

Im not really sure waht your point is. It would have sold no matter how badly it was written. it was a scandalous story, and people were keen to see what was said about the affair. Not sure why you keep comparing it to Daneille Steell e who is (a) a novelist not a non ficiotn writer, and (b) not generally regarded as any Shakespeare..
 
Im not really sure waht your point is. It would have sold no matter how badly it was written. it was a scandalous story, and people were keen to see what was said about the affair. Not sure why you keep comparing it to Daneille Steell e who is (a) a novelist not a non ficiotn writer, and (b) not generally regarded as any Shakespeare..

Many have concluded that the book lacked the sophistication of a world class writer, but it also may have contributed to making it more enjoyable, without having an overbearing quality. Take the ex. of Hewitt being introduced to Diana at the Mayfair drawing room the summer of 1986..

"With his acute sense of noblesse oblige, James returned his attention to the fey, wispy blonde with whom he was half-heartedly flirting, made a valiant attempt to spruce up the conversation and offered to get her another glass of champagne. Just as he was proffering it, his host grabbed his arm. Leading him across the room, he told James there was someone he wanted him to meet. 'Come on, I'll introduce you to Diana.'

'Diana was showing her most dazzling public face. Naturally she was aware of her magnetism but here, suddenly, was a man whom she wanted to captivate. Her desire, as she told him later, both frightened and excited her. Most men were attracted to her golden aura but blinded by it. They were dazzled but dared not touch. She was unaccustomed to meeting a man who allowed his interest to show, who, rather than trail behind in deference, was bullishly taking the conversational lead."
 
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Hope that everyone has found a copy of the Princess book....

:cheers:

All kidding aside.. on a lighter note, pictured with Hewitt at Buckingham Palace is a hound with a kind of regal bearing. Being familiar with greyhounds, they're generally not seen in long coat variety like that. And not in America.

Research brought up a wealth of material on Corgis, but nothing on hounds, so perhaps it was privately owned at the time. They have a laid back, calm demeanor, which is outstanding.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...rnak-tells-story-1994-book-Princess-Love.html
 
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why would anyone want to add to his income?

I have no idea about purported net worth or gardening salary, said to be on the low side. The subject is fascinating to Britons.. let's hope there's a retirement nest egg but I've never equated him or Diana on those terms.
 
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I have no idea about purported net worth or gardening salary, said to be on the low side. The subject is fascinating to Britons.. let's hope there's a retirement nest egg but I've never equated him or Diana on those terms.

if you want to help out financially a man like Hewitt thats fine but I never would.
 
He lost a lot of his money in bad investments and he had a nightclub or restaurant business that lost a lot of money. He may have lost his home since he lives with his mother. It's best that he does not go to the media anymore.
 
He lost a lot of his money in bad investments and he had a nightclub or restaurant business that lost a lot of money. He may have lost his home since he lives with his mother. It's best that he does not go to the media anymore.

A fool and his money are soon parted. Doing something that supports a fool makes one a fool themselves.

You can't cure fools at all like you can cure ham. :D
 
Just to clarify some of the water under the bridge James Hewitt took half of his military retirement pay (L60,000) and invested L30,000 of it in the London golf driving range in 1994. It of course went bankrupt.

He then invested the other half (L30,000) in a horse riding school and it too went bankrupt. He then sold an American TV show for 10 million dollars. 10 million pounds was also the amount that he originally was asking for 64 of Diana's letters, but ended up only getting L100,000.


There's something admirable about a guy who ended up on the one hand, ruining his life by falling in love with Diana, and I mean... RUINED, which no one seems to concede here. Yet when he had nothing left to fall back on, and a public routinely mocking him, he kept plugging away at his survival. Something to be said for that.
 
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There's something admirable about a guy who ended up on the one hand ruining his life by being Diana's boyfriend...and I mean... RUINED, which no one seems to concede here. Yet when he had nothing left to fall back on, and a public routinely mocking him, he kept plugging away at his survival. Something to be said for that.

You also reap what you sow and he did treat his relationship with Diana quite badly and made money off of it.

I don't feel sorry for the man whatsoever. I usually see the good in people but in this instance, I call it as I see it. ?
 
You also reap what you sow and he did treat his relationship with Diana quite badly and made money off of it.

I don't feel sorry for the man whatsoever. I usually see the good in people but in this instance, I call it as I see it. ?

A variety of opinion is welcome, but I don't understand where the haste comes from to declare financial issues and the like, when only a few pages back he seemed to have a good deal of net worth..?

The contrast with Diana is deafening in the sense that she moved on with pride and dignity intact, opportunity, romance, no great upheaval in connection to him. So the chronicled transgressions, letters, love story, can be likened to water off a duck's back..if you look at the two paths they took.
 
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There's something admirable about a guy who ended up on the one hand, ruining his life by falling in love with Diana, and I mean... RUINED, which no one seems to concede here. Yet when he had nothing left to fall back on, and a public routinely mocking him, he kept plugging away at his survival. Something to be said for that.

no there is nothing to be said for JH. HE ruined his life, by his selling Diana out. He could have retired from the army, and found anohter job.. and livd his life, wihtout selling out his lover
 
no there is nothing to be said for JH. HE ruined his life, by his selling Diana out. He could have retired from the army, and found anohter job.. and livd his life, wihtout selling out his lover

Little seems to be known of the number of love letters from Diana, as to the sale of them. A while back it was said they had not gone to auction, since his asking price was considered to be high, at roughly 16 million. If that's the case, then he would today still be the rightful owner of them.
 
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