You’ve made yourself familiar with the royal family over the course of numerous books, but it’s a different beast to try and encapsulate the sovereign herself. In an interview shortly before The Queen’s publication, Morton spoke with about his new book, his depiction in The Crown, and what he makes of the mysterious “mask” that covers the monarchy to this day. Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to play She had something different, something quieter and more enigmatic, to offer. Today, The Queen hardly matches the explosiveness of Her True Story, but, then again, the late Elizabeth Windsor was never much like her firebrand daughter-in-law. If the wall between the monarchy and its subjects still exists-and Morton argues it does-then at least Diana: Her True Story gave it a thorough throttling. The resulting biography remains one of the works of which Morton is most proud, in no small part for its unprecedented access.

James Colthurst shuttling tapes to and from Kensington Palace. In episode 2 of season 5, Morgan and his cast depict Morton’s breathlessly secretive interviews with Princess Diana, conducted via audio recording with middleman Dr. Grand Central Publishing scooted up the release date of The Queen: Her Life, originally slotted for 2023, to land shortly after the sovereign’s death in September, and to coincide with the release of The Crown’s latest season. $28 at Bookshop Credit: Grand Central Publishing

Now, he’s releasing his latest about the woman herself: the late Queen Elizabeth II. He’s also proudly swept through the Hollywood circus, penning biographies of Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Monica Lewinsky, and David and Victoria Beckham. In the years since he became famous for his unprecedented royal scoop with the princess, Morton has marketed himself as the ultimate expert on the monarchy, writing multiple books about Diana Princess Margaret Edward VIII’s wife, Wallis Simpson Meghan Markle and Prince William and Princess Kate, among others. Indeed, he has Diana largely to thank for his worldwide recognition now. He has only two wistful observations: That so many refused to believe his work was authentic when first published, and that he never got to meet with Princess Diana before her death, to express his gratefulness for their work together. Andrew Morton regrets little about his bestselling 1992 biography Diana: Her True Story: not the surreptitious manner in which its interviews were conducted not the warfare it catalyzed between the Prince and Princess of Wales nor the way it was portrayed in 2022, on the fifth and penultimate season of Peter Morgan’s drama The Crown.

Diana her true story