Four months short of Diana, Princess of Wales' tenth death anniversary, an explosive book about her is about to hit the stands.

The book, titled 'The Diana Chronicles', has been penned by the late Princess' 'friend' Tina Brown, who not only portrays her as a spiteful and manipulative woman, but also as a "media savvy neurotic".

Brown, who in 1985 attacked the Prince of Wales' neglect of his young wife as the reason for their crumbling marriage just four years into their supposedly 'fairy-tale' life, has this time turned the tables on Diana, and portrays her as a "spiteful, manipulative"woman who was more enamored by the thought of being Queen than by Charles.

The book also reveals that Prince Charles was the one who was "in love" with his spouse during the couple's marriage, and not vice versa.

Diana, she reveals, ruthlessly pursued Charles because of his position. When her mother Frances Shand Kydd tried to talk her out of the marriage, by demanding to know whether she loved the Prince or loved "what he is", Diana retorted: "What's the difference?"

A friend of Brown who has seen a copy of the book said that apart from the Prince of Wales and his two sons William and Harry, every member of the royal family 'comes off badly', especially Diana.

"Almost everyone except Charles, William and Harry comes off badly - the Queen, Camilla and, most of all, (Lady) Di. It is going to be highly controversial, but this book isn't based on the myths that Diana created about herself and it certainly isn't gossip," the Daily Mail quoted the friend, as saying.

Tina is incredibly well-connected. She has been able to persuade an unparalleled range of sources and eyewitnesses to talk fully and honestly for the first time, sorting through the layers of contradictions about Diana. Diana was a humanitarian who at one level really identified with the common people, as she thought of them. But she was also a very messed-up woman whose downfall was due to her own insane jealousy and self-obsession, the friend added.

Even the Prince of Wales' current wife Camilla, the book suggests, was not so much interested in Charles as she was in her first husband Andrew Parker Bowles, whom she pursued relentlessly for six years.

It was only his infidelity that had Camilla becoming Prince Charles' mistress.

（Agencies）