I discussed Grace Kelly’s career as an actress and her impact on film, fashion and the Principality of Monaco with the Since The World’s Been Turning Podcast.
Click here to listen to “Princess Grace” at Since The World’s Been Turning.
Category Archives: Diana, Princess of Wales
Winter 2022 Online Course: Behind the Crown: The Monarchy from Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II
My new eight week online course at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies starts Wednesday January 12, 2022. Click here for more information and to register.
ABOUT THIS COURSE
The year 2022 marks Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. It’s an opportunity to look back on the social, political and cultural changes during her long reign. The personal lives of royalty are a popular subject for fiction in novels, films and TV series but the real history is more interesting. Each generation of royalty must respond to the challenges of their times to keep the monarchy relevant and engaged with public opinion. Join Carolyn Harris, historian, commentator and author of Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting for a lively discussion of the history, politics and cultural significance of the monarchy in the UK and Canada.
People Magazine Interview: Inside The Secret Life of Royal Nannies
I discussed royal nannies during the lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II with Philip Boucher at People Magazine, including their roles and responsibilities in the royal household and how they are recommended to royal parents.
Click here to read The Secret Life of Royal Nannies in People Magazine
CBC News Interview: Contradictions, charisma and a well-known story: Why it’s so hard to become Diana on screen
I discussed the challenges faced by filmmakers and actresses portraying Diana in films dramatizing her life and legacy in an interview with Janet Davison for the CBC Royal Fascinator newsletter.
Vulture Magazine Interview: Is Sally Hawkins’s Spencer Character Based on a Real Person?
I discussed Diana, Princess of Wales and her relationship with her household in an interview with Matthew Jacobs at Vulture Magazine, examining the historical circumstances that inspired the new Spencer movie.
New Reader’s Digest Article: 10 Portrayals of Princess Diana in Pop Culture—Ranked
The new film Spencer isn’t the first attempt to bring the story of Diana, Princess of Wales to the big screen. In my recent article for Reader’s Digest, I discuss how 10 other films, TV series, novels and plays portrayed “the People’s Princess”—with varying degrees of success. Traditional biopics are rare. Instead, writers often choose a particular theme or moment from Diana’s life or legacy – or create an alternate history imagining what might have happened to Diana if she had experienced different circumstances.
Click here to read my article, 10 Portrayals of Princess Diana in Pop Culture—Ranked in Reader’s Digest Canada
NBC News Interview: From ‘Spencer’ to ‘The Crown’: Why do we remain captivated by Princess Diana?
I discussed Diana’s legacy in popular culture with Daniel Arkin in NBC News including key themes from films and TV series about Diana and why her life and death has such resonance for screenwriters and audiences alike.
Click here to read From ‘Spencer’ to ‘The Crown’: Why do we remain captivated by Princess Diana? at NBC News
New Reader’s Digest Article: 40 Things You Didn’t Know About the Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
My latest article in Reader’s Digest Canada discusses little known facts about the royal wedding of 1981 including the backup wedding dress for Lady Diana Spencer, the special chair commissioned for one of the wedding guests, and the concerns that both Prince Charles and Lady Diana expressed before the ceremony.
New Interviews about Season 4 of The Crown on Netflix for NBC and Le Figaro
I discussed Season 4 of The Crown on Netflix with NBC News and Le Figaro including the portrayals of the Queen, Margaret Thatcher and Diana, Princess of Wales.
History Interview: How Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s Wedding Became a Global Phenomenon
I discussed the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 with Jessica Pearce Rotondi at History.com, including the menu, guest list and media coverage at the time.