Diana, in her own words

[Skipsurvey]

anyone else see this on netflix?
very interesting.
her wedding day was the worst day of her life.

i did not read the book btw

her wedding day was the worst day of her life.

I found that utterly tragic. I remember being a kid and waking up at 5 a.m. in California to watch the wedding with my mum and aunties. It was the mother of royal weddings in my lifetime. So to hear her say this but then also wax on about how absolutely in love with her husband she was, was a bit confusing. She was simultaneously over the moon and miserable.

"Too late, Duch. Your face is on the tea towels," is one of the funniest and saddest quotes.

@SuperbGorgonzola

I found it sad. She didn't know what she was getting herself into and nobody around her seemed to advise her against it. By the time she claims that she had reservations about Camilla and the spotlight, she was told it was too late. It was practically a forced marriage.

I don't believe I've ever heard of them being advised to have marriage counselling, or counselling for Charles.

I think she knew exactly what she was getting into, she had been brought up in a very ariistocratic household, albeit fractured, her home was on the Sandringham estate until her father became the Earl, and had mixed with the royal family from birth being close to Andrew and Edward. If she needed any advice/help her family could have done far more but I think they were so pleased to have a Spencer in his bed that they didn't care enough.

Her tales of her mother crying every Saturday were quite telling

She was very young and naive, but I think she was also very ambitious. I don't think they are incompatible. She didn't want to hang about doing pretty vacuous jobs waiting for some other, to the rest of us, unknown aristo/something in the city to turn up for her to settle to a life of country houses, kids and Labradors.

Yes I saw it, and like others have said I don’t believe it all as gospel, but she was clearly very troubled and the press attention was horrific.
Having watched that, The Crown and the other Diana documentary currently on Netflix (can’t remember what it’s called, the one with her brother) I can totally see why Harry and Meghan have decided to leave the royal family. I could imagine Meghan going the same way.

I think Harry takes after Diana in many ways. Meghan is much stronger and more intelligent than either of them.

OK I’ve just watched this - I do stand by my belief that Diana was thrown in at the deep end, a brood mare whose past wouldn’t stir up trouble, with not nearly enough support.

But my goodness what a drama llama she is! Every experience was terrible, every day of her life was a terrible day, she seemed to over react immensely in situations and as someone who has been with people with complex MH issues before, it can’t have been easy for Charles especially when she self harmed in front of him to seemingly get a rise. I’m not quite sure what she was looking for from her marriage.

So pleased their sons have been able to break out the awful cycle of marrying for breeding and not love.

I also get the impression that she was fame hungry - which is fine, but then don’t complain that you’re famous

Although a little older than Diana, I had my two DSs at about the same times as W &H were born.
It always surprises me that in all the reporting, no mention is made of support from her older sisters. I did happen see Diana and her sister Sarah in a non public situation, they seemed very friendly.

I'm so glad these tapes of her own words are out there now. Yes I get the impression there wasn't much support or guidance from her own family including her sisters. Her mum was out of the picture most of her childhood. She seemed so isolated.

Is this the same one which was on ITV recently?

I don't think so, that was with Martin Bashir I think

@Skipsurvey

did anyone see the bit where Charles was saying publicly what a lovely lady and wife she was and she made a face and caused the audience to laugh! she seems to be really hard work and not cut out for the job

Yes but she most probably knew that he was shagging Camilla behind his back by that point, so she was actually the model of restraint in the circumstances. He was very lucky that all she did was pull a funny face.

@Beebumble2

Although a little older than Diana, I had my two DSs at about the same times as W &H were born. It always surprises me that in all the reporting, no mention is made of support from her older sisters. I did happen see Diana and her sister Sarah in a non public situation, they seemed very friendly.

Her sisters went with Charles to identify her body and they looked utterly distraught. I believe they remain very close to the boys. Charles Spencer's doesn't though - and barely saw them in their childhood. He's a fucking hypocrite whining about her non-blood family at her funeral and promising to take the boys under his wing. He also refused to let Diana live in a cottage in his estate when she was trying to escape her miserable marriage

It must have felt very humiliating on a daily basis for Diane to be married to a man who loved someone else. I suspect the bulimia was a reaction to these circumstances. Later on I expect she would have been afraid of losing her children if they split, and that the queen may enforce that. She was in an awful situation. Must have felt like emotional abuse.

Why was Charles such an abusive shit from day one?? Why was he so COLD? He reminds me a lot of my father, who also married a younger woman who was desperately looking to be loved - and showed her nothing but cruelty. And then gaslit her and everyone they knew that it was her fault. And he was so charming that everyone believed him. Abuse upon abuse.

And the rest of the royal family are just as bad. Edging Diana out at family events, even at her own baby’s christening. Doing nothing to support her or show her any affection or love. Awful human beings.

Boggling at anyone saying ‘she knew what she was getting into’. At 19? It’s jealous, petty, cheat, Charles who knew what he was getting HER into. How dare he have the nerve to walk behind her coffin. That was the final insult.

@NoToMisogyny the funeral was VERY cleverly orchestrated to minimise damage to the Royals whose popularity at that point was at rock bottom. Charles needed to show up, figuratively. Although I mean looking back Harry and William were 12 and 15, and they had to walk behind their mother's coffin and put on a brave face. It's barbaric, especially when members of the public were wailing like lunatics over a woman they didn't know.

In answer to why Charles was so cold - he was raised in a cold family, in a cold way. As a young boy the Queen and Prince Phillip saw them for half an hour in the evening. They were raised by nannies otherwise. The Queen and Prince Phillip went on foreign tours for months on end leaving them back in England. Then he was shipped off to a boarding school he hated where he was relentlessly bullied. They wouldn't let him come home or change schools. He then had to find a wife who was a virgin (to prevent nasty stories from ex boyfriends being published about the future Queen) and young enough to be a brood mare bear children. Meaning he "picked" someone he didn't and couldn't really love. In those times in order for a monarchy to work duty came before family, and sadly the human beings involved are collateral damage.

William and Harry and their generation of Royal children were certainly raised differently thanks (WRT William and Harry) mostly to Diana. She took them to theme parks and McDonalds and did the school run. The nannies were there for childcare purposes but they didn't do the raising. They took their children on their months-long tours. William and Kate raise their children similarly and apparently home schooled the kids themselves during lockdown. The monarchy has to move with the times, and the modern world accepts that you shouldn't raise children the way Charles and his siblings were raised - because, well, look at the disaster lives they turned out to have. Most of them have divorced (very controversial in the monarchy), most were unfaithful in their marriages, at least half have been embroiled in shocking scandals. The Royal Family has definitely learned its lesson in how they treat people in the family, sadly it was too late for Diana.

Some people can never be loved enough. I think that Diana would have been unhappy in any marriage although PC was a terrible choice. As r marriage guidance I believe the services of Sir Jimmy Savile were called upon.

Please let her rest in peace. Out of kindness to William, Harry and the rest of her family.

I’m quite sad that The Crown has caused all this to be dragged up again. People have accepted Camilla, everyone moved on and now all the painful and undignified mess is being raked over again. Charles and her sons must despair.

What’s sad is all the public money funding the royals!

@GlummyMcGlummerson agree.
I’ve always felt a bit about anyone who sees this as a clear cut situation where Charles was terrible and Diana was a saint (or vice versa.) They were both brought up in dysfunctional families (Charles’ worse than hers) People go on about diana being so young and naive and not knowing what she was getting into, but Charles was in a possibly worse position of knowing what/ who he wanted but not being allowed to have it. I think Charles has had the most awful life really, being pushed into marrying a young virgin purely so that no scandal could emerge and she could produce an heir. They were clearly completely incompatible. No shared interests. She would have been difficult in any marriage I suspect because she had poor mental health which may have been exacerbated by the situation but would probably have impacted in any relationship. There seemed a desperation about her to be loved and adored; she craved attention but then couldn’t deal with it.
I’ve no idea how much support she may or may not have received from her sisters ... by all accounts considering they were born into the same dysfunctional family, they appear to have managed to live quite contentedly out of the limelight. The brother seems horrendous - an utter hypocrite who stepped in for 5 minutes when she died to point the finger and claim some weird moral high ground which is a bit much considering his track record.
There is no saint and sinner here.... both Charles and Diana had their own share of faults and difficulties and quite frankly the relationship was doomed.
I can quite understand why Harry and Meghan stepped away.

Completely agree Caelano

absolutely agree, and also agree that The Crown has raked it all up again

Caelano I totally agree.