Shocking and previously unheard tapes of Princess Diana have emerged, containing revelations that are set to stir up significant attention. In these recordings, Diana described her marriage to King Charles as “ridiculous.” She also recounted how Charles had allegedly expressed disappointment at the birth of Prince Harry, stating that he “wanted a girl” instead. Additionally, the tapes reveal her intense dislike for her stepmother, Raine Spencer.
The audio was recorded by Diana during the 1990s for her biographer, Andrew Morton, who later published the highly popular book, “Diana: Her True Story.” Snippets of these recordings, which are scheduled to be featured in an upcoming documentary, have been released in the US, just a day after the 26th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death in a car crash.
In one clip, Diana claimed that at Prince Harry’s christening in 1984, Charles told her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, “We’re so disappointed, we thought it would be a girl.” Frances, in response, “snapped his head off” and told him he should “realize you are lucky to have a child.” This revelation could potentially be particularly harmful to King Charles, especially as it comes just a week before the first anniversary of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Another clip showcases Diana’s animosity towards Raine Spencer. After her father, John, married Raine in 1976 following her mother’s departure, and John’s death in 1992, Raine left the family estate of Althorp due to the strained relationship with Charles and Diana. Diana is heard expressing her anger, saying, “I was so angry. I told her, ‘I hate you so much. If only you knew how much we all hated you for what you’ve done. You’ve ruined the house, you’ve spent Daddy’s money.’ I said everything I possibly could and Raine said, ‘you have no idea how much pain mother put your father through.’ I said, ‘Pain, Raine? That’s one word you don’t even know how to relate to. In my job and in my role, I see people suffer like you’ve never seen. And you call that pain?’ I said, ‘you’ve got a lot to learn.'” Diana and her siblings were known to refer to their stepmother as “Acid Raine” and would often sing “Raine, Raine, go away!”
The forthcoming documentary, which was previewed on “Good Morning America,” the headline show of the US network ABC, is a sequel to the 2017 production, “Diana: In Her Own Words.” It is anticipated to be available on Disney + early next year. Both Harry and Meghan have previously been interviewed on ABC’s “GMA.” Harry promoted his memoir, “Spare,” on the network in January, while the Duchess of Sussex appeared on “GMA” to discuss the Disney documentary “Elephant,” which she narrated. Meghan’s former close friend, Jessica Mulroney, was also a fashion contributor on ABC until the network severed ties with her following her dispute with black influencer Sasha Exeter.
In another previously unreleased clip, Diana spoke of her “ridiculous” wedding to Charles in 1981. She said, “It was so grown up. Here’s Diana, a kindergarten teacher. I mean the whole thing was ridiculous.”
The producer of both the 2017 documentary and the upcoming one, Tom Jennings, told ABC, “When the first film came out, people were blown away because they had not heard Diana talk like this before.” He added, “It’s a style of storytelling that is very difficult to do but I think it is the closest thing to the truth that you can get because nothing gets in your way. It is important as part of Diana’s legacy to allow more of those tapes to be heard.”
Diana recorded a total of seven hours of audio while she was still married to Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales. However, not all of the audio was included in the 2017 documentary.
Regarding Charles’s purported comments about Prince Harry’s birth, Diana said, “My husband won’t even talk to mummy, barely. Because at Harry’s christening Charles went up to mummy and said: ‘We’re so disappointed, thought it would be a girl’ and mummy snapped his head off and said you should realise how lucky you are to have a child that’s normal.’ Ever since that day, the shutters have come down. That’s what he does when he gets somebody answering back at him.”
Mr. Morton’s 1992 book, which was written with Diana’s close collaboration, told the “true” story of her marriage to Charles, which, contrary to the public perception at the time, was in a state of deep distress. Diana opened up about her extreme unhappiness and bouts of depression that led to her attempts to harm herself. The revelations, which were condemned by many as being overly sensationalist, were so damaging to the royals’ public image that numerous book shops and supermarkets banned the book, completely unaware that Diana was the primary source behind it. The Princess also described cutting herself with a penknife, throwing herself down the stairs while pregnant, and suffering from bulimia, which caused her to vomit four times a day.
The biographer further capitalized on his bestselling work by releasing “Diana: Her True Story In Her Own Words” just months after her death in 1997. The book included the transcripts of their conversations, officially identifying her as the main source. This was followed by “Diana: In Pursuit of Love” in 2004, which detailed her affairs with individuals such as soldier James Hewitt, heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, and property developer Christopher Walley.
Are there any more details about the content of the tapes?
How did the public and the royal family react to these tapes?
What impact do these revelations have on the public perception of Princess Diana and the royal family?