Squidgygate: Encyclopedia II - Squidgygate - Context and reaction

Squidgygate - Context and reaction

At the time of publication, the Prince and Princess of Wales, engaged in acrimonious and messy pre-divorce proceedings, were involved in a protracted battle for public sympathy which became known as the "War of the Waleses".

The Duke and Duchess of York had separated months before, and now all eyes were on the next King and Queen, whose marriage had been the subject of rumour for years.

Speculation in the media - and in court circles - reached fever pitch. In his memoirs, Diana's private secretary Patrick Jephson recounts a fraught game of media one-upmanship by the feuding couple: secret briefings to friendly journalists, open collaboration with TV documentaries, and separate appearances at different public events on the same day were just some of the many strategies with which Charles and Diana attempted to force each other out of the limelight. Jephson recalls that the atmosphere at Kensington Palace at the time was "like a slowly-spreading pool of blood leaking from under a locked door ^[10]."

Throughout 1991 and into 1992, Diana had been involved in secret co-operation with a previously little-known court correspondent called Andrew Morton. The result of this liaison was the scandalous book Diana: Her True Story, which - although obviously biased because of the close involvement of the Princess - revealed in graphic detail the previously-hidden disaster that the Wales's marriage had become. Diana's bulimia, suicide attempts and self-mutilation were spelt out unambiguously, as were Charles's relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, and the intrigues of Palace officials in attempting to contain the disintegrating Royal marriage.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Context and reaction", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki