Diana in Search of Herself: Portrait of a Troubled Princess is one of the books about Diana, Princess of Wales. The book was written by best-selling author Sally Bedell Smith and was published by the Times Books in 1999.[1][2] The book is the first authoritative biography of the Princess.[3]
Content
The 320-page book focuses on the troubled life of Princess Diana.[2][4] Smith interviewed nearly 150 people whose reports are used in the book to narrate the life of the Princess.[5] These people were mainly Diana's intimates, including British tabloid journalists.[6] The book also featured 32 pages of unseen photographs of the Princess.[7]
The most significant claim made in the book is that the Princess had suffered from borderline personality disorder.[2][8] It also claimed that she could not manage her serious eating disorder and had difficulty sustaining relationships.[9]
Linda L. Richards of the January Magazine stated that the book provides an unbiased and balanced portrait of the Princess.[4][11] In a similar vein, the Newsweek review of the book indicated "Smith has done a remarkable job extracting what's genuinely pertinent and interesting about Diana...If you're going to read one Diana book, this should be it."[10]
On the other hand, the author was criticized by Dorothy Packer-Fletcher because of her claim that Diana had been experiencing borderline personality disorder.[12][13] Packer-Fletcher suggested that in order to establish this diagnosis there should have been a psychiatric examination.[12] She further argued that the author's statement was harmful because it was a "posthumous diagnosis of mental illness".[12]
The book became a bestseller and was also cited as controversial.[13]
