New Delhi, November 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has shared several personal anecdotes involving prominent international leaders and members of the British royal family in her newly released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love. These include her observations about former US President Bill Clinton, her interactions with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and her warm memories of Princess Diana.
Recalling Clinton’s 2000 visit to India, Gandhi wrote that he was staying at the Sheraton hotel with his daughter, Chelsea, and delegation when she met him alongside India’s then External Affairs Minister. She described him as friendly, informal and confident, but said he appeared more interested in sharing his views on Kashmir than listening to the Indian side.
Clinton had described Kashmir as “a nuclear flashpoint” and “one of the most dangerous places on earth”, according to Gandhi’s account.
She also recalled a reception hosted by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Clinton’s honour, where she noticed his behaviour. Referring to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Gandhi wrote, “The Monica Lewinsky scandal had subsided a little by then, but old habits die hard; at the reception held by Prime Minister Vajpayee in his honour, I noticed him every now and then surreptitiously sizing up the more striking women present.”
The memoir also recounts Sarkozy’s 2008 visit to India, when he travelled without his then partner, Carla Bruni. Gandhi wrote that Sarkozy had reportedly been advised not to bring Bruni because they were unmarried at the time, which could have created an awkward situation at official functions.
At a banquet, the wife of then Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari reportedly questioned Sarkozy good-naturedly about his marriage plans. Gandhi recalled that the French President appeared unperturbed and continued answering the questions while messaging Bruni.
Gandhi said she met the couple again at a private dinner hosted by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife, after Sarkozy and Bruni had married. She described Bruni as an elegant and graceful presence, while criticising Sarkozy’s manner of speaking to Singh, which she considered rather arrogant.
A significant part of the memoir is devoted to Princess Diana, whom Gandhi described as the most captivating personality in the British royal family. She recalled attending Diana and Prince Charles’s wedding with her husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in 1981.
Remembering the royal couple’s 1992 India visit, Gandhi said Diana appeared morose despite looking wonderful in a red and purple suit. The meeting took place on the day Diana famously posed alone on a bench in front of the Taj Mahal.
Gandhi also recounted an affectionate exchange between Diana and her mother, who was visiting at the time. Her daughter, Priyanka Gandhi, explained to Diana that her grandmother was quiet because she knew only Italian and had been asked not to speak. Diana burst into laughter and warmly greeted her in Italian.
As the royal couple prepared to leave, Diana turned back to wave at Gandhi’s mother and called out, “Ciao. Nonna!” Gandhi also recalled that Diana later wrote to her expressing admiration for Rajiv Gandhi after receiving a copy of her book Rajiv.
Another memory came from a meeting in London, where Diana arrived for tea wearing a black suit with a white collar and joked, “I am feeling like a crow!”
Gandhi also described an unexpected encounter with Diana at a hairdresser’s. She passed the princess a handwritten note intended as a greeting but realised afterwards that she had written “Hye” instead of “Hi”. Diana had already placed the note in her handbag before Gandhi noticed the spelling error.
Calling it her last meeting with Diana, Gandhi wrote that she had felt sympathy for the princess despite the criticism directed at her. “I must say I felt for her throughout, and still do,” she wrote.
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