Some members of the royal family have collaborated with biographers on books that have subsequently been described as 'authorised'. Diana, Princess of Wales collaborated with Andrew Morton on the 1992 book Diana: Her Story, recording answers on tape to questions he gave her and allowing access to her friends to be interviewed.[3] The 1994 biography of King Charles III, The Prince of Wales: A Biography by Jonathan Dimbleby was authorised by Charles.[4] A spokesperson from St James's Palace described it as an 'authorised account' that was produced with Charles's co-operation.[5] Dimbleby's book extensively quoted from Charles's diaries, journals and letters and from interviews with Charles and people close to him.[6] The biography of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand titled Finding Freedom was written with the couple's contribution and published in 2020.[7][8]
Official biographers have also been appointed to provide an account of a royal's life posthumously, including John Wheeler-Bennett for King George VI (King George VI: His Life and Reign, 1958), James Pope-Hennessy for Queen Mary (Queen Mary, 1959), and William Shawcross for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: The Official Biography, 2009).[9][10] In April 2026, Anna Keay was announced as the writer of Queen Elizabeth II's authorised biography.[11]
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