The British royalty has always been a hot topic of discussion for tabloids and with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure from Royal Life, the interest has only peaked furthermore. You would think that this is the first generation of royals who have been stirring drama and breaking rules but in fact, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview was tame compared to the scathing tell-all, Princess Diana gave in the 90s.
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We are taking a look back at that explosive interview, which gave millions an inside look at the disastrous royal marriage of Diana and Charles and how the Royal Family failed the people’s princess. Sounds familiar? We thought so as well! Our favourite part of the interview is when Princess Di revealed the heartbreaking promise she begged from Prince Charles to keep– which he denied.
1. Hurting Diana’s Feeling
It all started with a leaked conversation. The Daily Mirror newspaper published a full transcript of a conversation between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 1993. The telephone calls were graphic and left the Prince and Princess Diana ridiculed.
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While the couple had been separated at the time of the leak, the phone call was recorded in 1989. A time when the couple had claimed to be happily married. The public demanded answers and for the first time, a senior royal member, Prince Charles came on television and confirmed his infidelity.
2. Diana’s Retaliation
This public proclamation of his betrayal left Diana hurt and embarrassed. Before Prince Charles’s confirmation of the news, the tried and tested method of dealing with such gossip for the royals was always ignoring the rumours and thus adding no more fuel to the fire.
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But Prince Charles did the exact opposite and directly prompted the Princess to retaliate and sit down for her interview. Max Hastings, who was the editor of The Daily Telegraph newspaper at the time was so shocked by all the things Diana said that he mulled for 3 months after if he should even publish the interview.
3. Unconventional From The Start
This course of events had never been seen before but wasn’t shocking. The royal couple’s relationship has never been strong, to begin with. From their unconventional start in 1977 to the “romantic” proposal.
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The two first crossed paths when Diana was just 16 years old. The then-29-year-old prince was casually dating her older sister Lady Sarah Spencer. Throughout the years, the two met on and off and only in 1980 did the relationship turn romantic.
4. No Sparks
Years later, Princess Diana explained how the relationship was doomed and incompatible from the start. Her description of how the Prince made his move leaves much to be desired. “The next minute he leapt on me, practically,” said Diana.
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“It was strange. I thought, ‘This isn’t very cool.’ But I had nothing to go by because I’d never had a boyfriend.” A year later, in 1981 they were engaged. “We met 13 times, and we got married.” While it is known that the breakneck speed of their marriage was due to the intense pressure, Prince Philip put on his son to finally settle down. Prince Charles’s description of the events was just as bad “To have withdrawn, as you can no doubt imagine, would have been cataclysmic. Hence, I was permanently between the devil and the deep blue sea.”
5. “The Perfect Match”
At the time though, the nature of the relationship was one described as a “fairy tale”. The beautiful couple was instantly loved by the media and public alike with Diana winning everyone with her charm and softness, even before she became a princess.
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Their Westminster wedding in July 1981 was watched around the world and heralded in a new age of royalty. Princess Diana’s dress also inspired new wedding trends and despite the couple’s dislike for each other, the day belonged in a Disney movie. Of course, Prince Charles ex-girlfriend, Camilla was also present at the wedding with her husband Andrew Parker Bowles.
6. Falling Apart
Prince William arrived 12 months later and in 1984, Prince Harry was born. Diana and Charles’s royal duty was completed and soon after, after only a couple of years of marriage, rumours again began that Charles had started seeing Camilla Parker Bowles.
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The couple were practically living separate lives before they announced their official separation in 1992. The New York Times wrote that year, “Buckingham Palace wrote the unhappy ending today to a storybook marriage gone badly wrong.”
7. Wrong Advice
Like we mentioned above, things were made worst when in 1994, Charles confessed to the world of his infinity. Fun Fact: Princess Diana and Charles were still technically married at the time of the interview. While Camilla and Charle’s relationship was a well-known fact even interviewer Jonathan Dimbleby was shocked by Prince Charles admission to being unfaithful in his marriage. Charles replied, “Yes. Absolutely.”
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But then Dimbleby pressed further with, “And you were?” The prince answered, “Yes. Until it became irretrievably broken down – us both having tried.” A couple of decades later, it seems that Prince Charles regretted his decision and said that a royal aid had led him astray by giving him poor advice. “Somebody convinced him, ‘Look, sir, this is going to come out sooner or later, wouldn’t it be better if it comes out in a sympathetic form – in sympathetic hands.’ And he fell for it.”
8. Fighting Back
A close friend of Princess Diana, Dr James Colthurst claimed she was enraged about her treatment within the royal family. He said, “I remember she was becoming more and more incensed by what was going on and the fact that the whole organization – as she saw it – was helping to support the relationship between Camilla and Prince Charles.”
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A year later, Diana’s interview was equally if not more shocking. The princess confirmed she had known about Charles and Camilla’s affair with her now-famous quote, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” She also confessed to having her affair with James Hewitt – a former cavalry officer in the British Army.
9. Personal Struggles
Everyone expected Diana to skewer her marriage and assassinate Prince Charles’s character but no one knew why the princess revealed her struggles from mental health problems to her struggle with bulimia.
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She also revealed she had suffered from postnatal depression and was not given any help from the palace. Of course, the interview was never going to be well-received by the Queen and when asked if Princess Diana ever saw herself becoming Queen, she replied, “I’d like to be a queen of people’s hearts, in people’s hearts, but I don’t see myself being Queen of this country.”
10. Not Shocking
While most people would be confused as to why Diana would reveal her struggles to the world, since discussing her marriage would have been enough of a payback. Though it seems that, the Princess is always inclined to overshare and one which made her even more loved.
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According to royal journalist Ingrid Seward. “The most extraordinary thing about [Diana] was her habit of telling people she hardly knew the most intimate secrets about her life. I think she enjoyed seeing what effect it would have on them.”
11. Behind The Scenes
Max Hastings, the editor said “I spent the best part of a couple of hours with Diana and she put on a wonderful show,” “It was gripping stuff.” And the journalist claimed it was obvious how Diana felt about Charles. He said, “It became clear first of all how much she hated Charles. Yes, she did hate Charles.”
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Hastings claimed he asked Diana if she had ever experienced happiness in the marriage “No, the marriage was hell from day one.” Hastings was taken aback by this, mainly because he wasn’t expecting the princess to be so honest with him. The former editor said, “I was amazed by the frankness and the directness with which she said that.”
12. Her Dream For Prince William
If that wasn’t all, the princess continued to shock Hastings even more. He alleged, “[Diana] said that all she cared about was William’s succession to the throne and she said to me, quite explicitly” ‘I don’t think Charles can do it.’”
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She wanted Charles to make a huge sacrifice for her and William. “The outcome she wanted to see was for Charles to stand aside as heir… and for William to occupy the throne,” Hastings claimed.
13. Other Theories
“I felt that my job was to try and help them keep a lid on the worst of this, rather than to lift it off,” Hastings revealed. While this statement makes the reporter rather noble, we think there is more to the story.
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“Diana said a lot of stuff on several occasions which I thought [was] for the fairies,” said Hastings. “She asked me what I knew about a conspiracy to sort of have her put down. I said it sounded crazy to me.”
14. All Alone
Hastings went on to say “But she, I think, did believe this sort of stuff, and it was one of many, many things that made one feel so desperately sorry for her… this sense of vulnerability. You may be a very streetwise, brilliant enchantress, but you can also be not very bright.”
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While Hastings believed himself an ally to the princess, his flip-flopping comments about Diana and her intelligence seems to suggest a more harmful presence. Some even claim that Martin Bashin manipulated Diana into saying these controversial things.
15. Tragedy After Tragedy
Lady Campbell has gone on to publically accuse the interviewer of this. She said, “Bashir deliberately played upon her extremely suspicious nature and the fact she was well known to be a fragile personality, who was very susceptible to believing all sorts of extravagant things which to most people would have seemed unrealistic.”
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Rather than attack the Princess, Lasy Campbell explained Diana’s paranoia. It was all rooted in a personal tragedy. In 1987, she lost her bodyguard, who was also her alleged lover in a motorcycle accident. She was heard saying, “When I was 24 or 25, I was deeply in love with someone who worked in this environment. But then he was chucked out and he was killed.”
16. Enemies Everywhere
Diana continued, “Eventually he had to go and then three weeks after he left, he was killed in a motorbike accident. He was the greatest love I’ve ever had, and that was a real killer.” It seemed that the Princess truly believed that the death of her former lover was not an accident.
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Andrew Morton, the author of Diana: Her True Story – said “The princess suspected that he had been killed in an establishment plot and asked me to find out if her ideas had any credibility.” Morton even claimed that Diana had gone to see a clairvoyant about her suspicions.
17. Haunting Words
Though Diana wasn’t alone in her paranoia, her butler Paul Burrell revealed secret letters which the Princess had written to him, only 10 months before her death which claimed she had predicted her untimely demise.
Image: Georges De Keerle/Getty ImagesThe letter,
Burrell claimed the letter read, “This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous – my husband is planning an ‘accident’ in my car, brake failure and serious head injury” Though, apart from Burrell’s account there is no proof that Diana ever said these words or that any British organization or the royal family had anything to do with Diana’s tragic 1997 car accident.
18. Daina’s HouseHold Staff
After Diana’s death, the royal family and Spencer family remained tight lip about what went down but some of those who were close to the Late Princess opened up about what she was like, behind closed doors.
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In the forefront of all this was Paul Burrell, who had worked for the royal family for decades. At one point, he was even a footman to Queen Elizabeth II and later was employed by Princess Diana until her death. Burrell has reportedly referred to himself as “the only man [that Diana] ever trusted.”
19. Murky History
Though, many fans question the claims Burrell makes. For example, in 2001 his home in the English county of Cheshire was raided by police following allegations of theft. It was claimed that Burrell had stolen 300 items that had belonged to either Diana or her two sons!
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In a stranger turn of events, the Queen came forward to Burrell’s defence and told the court that she’d given her former employee permission to store the items in question. And as a result, all legal proceedings against Burrell were dropped.
20. Gets Worst
This wasn’t the last time Paul was investigated though. In 2008, during an investigation into the death of Princess Diana, it was discovered that Burell had duplicated many of Diana’s correspondence with her lovers, without her knowledge.
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Burrell argued that he had done so because of the papers’ “historical importance.” He mentioned how if Princess Diana had ever found out, she wouldn’t have minded since they discussed everything and he had even told her he was gay before he told his wife of 32 years!
21. Using Diana For Fame
It is also obvious to see that Burrell has used his connection with Princess Diana to earn himself fame and fortune. His constant comments and “insight” into the princess life has gotten him appearances on Big Brother and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! as well as serving as a judge on Australian Princess.
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Then, in 2018, Burrell was able to profit again on his royal experiences, when he was chosen as a royal correspondent on the British breakfast TV show Lorraine for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.
22. His Opinions On Meghan Markle
And despite not personally knowing the next generation of royals, Burrell still hasn’t stopped giving his opinion. “Meghan has married into the most traditional family in the country: the royal family,” Burrell explained. He then began drawing comparisons with the woman he served for a full decade, adding, “How is she going to cope? Princess Diana was brought up in a house that was as big as Buckingham Palace, and even she was lost.”
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Burrell also suggested “Buckingham Palace is a minefield for any person going in there for the first time. People set traps, [and] they weren’t very kind to this young girl coming into this world. Who would want to be part of that family?”
24. What Would Have Diana Said?
Since Burell has claimed such a close connection to Diana, many people have asked him to comment about Meghan and Harry’s departure from royal life. His opinions seem to change depending on his mood.
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Burrell then added, “Diana wasn’t [happy], and Meghan and Harry aren’t [either] in the environment they’re in – being stifled by the royal household. Diana found that impossible, marrying the whole family.”
25. His Mother’s Son
Burell also alleged that Prince Harry is following his mother’s footsteps as Diana also wanted to buy a home in Malibu, much like what Prince Harry and his wife did. Prince Harry hasn’t rebutted any of Burell’s comments but as said this is about the matter.
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“Everything that [Diana] went through and what happened to her is incredibly raw every single day. And that’s not me being paranoid; that’s just me not wanting a repeat of the past. And if anybody else knew what I knew – be it a father, be it a husband, be it anyone – you’d probably be doing exactly what I’m doing as well.”
26. Too Common
Later, in another interview, Paul said “Harry went for and married Meghan because she’s like Diana. Both [are] women who would always stand up for what they believe in and wouldn’t be pushovers.” yet despite these similarities, Paul believes the two wouldn’t have gotten along.
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“I think, possibly, [Diana and Meghan] would have clashed,” Burrell theorized. “I imagine it would have been two strong, independent women with different views on things. It would have been a battle between Meghan’s way and Diana’s way.”
27. The Big Difference
Burrell conceded, “I think the main difference between them is that Meghan has a game plan, whereas Diana was young and naïve.” “Diana did the book with Andrew Morton and courted the press over the years because she didn’t have a voice,” Burrell explained.
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“And her strong-mindedness meant [that] she cared, and she felt the people of the country had a right to know what had gone on behind closed doors. You could say Meghan does too – but I think her courting of the press is more for her career.”