Things We Learned About Princess Diana After Her Death

Princess Diana has long been an object of curiosity and infatuation around the world. Her fashion, friendships, foes, and more have gripped our attention spans for more than a decade. Now, years after her death, this statement still holds true. Diana's vibrant personality and playful demeanor have rendered her both a starlet and relatable figure in the eyes of many.

Although every minute detail of Princess Diana's life seems to have been amplified in the press throughout the years — from her affairs to her struggles with mental illness — more secretive information didn't surface until after her tragic death in August 1997. Articles, novels, documentaries, recordings and more have presented little-known facts regarding everything from her friendships to her most vulnerable moments. This information has given the public more of an inside look into the life she lived, making her all the more beloved as a royal icon.

Sitting in a London cafe one morning, long-time author and journalist Andrew Morton made a discovery that would change his life — and the world — forever. In his book, "Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words," Morton detailed the first time he heard Diana's "unmistakable voice" on an audio recording that had been placed in his possession.

"It was like being transported into a parallel universe, the Princess talking about her unhappiness, her sense of betrayal, her suicide attempts and two things I had never previously heard of: bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder, and a woman called Camilla," wrote Morton. Diana had recorded these tapes with voice coach Peter Settelen as a form of therapy. According to a 2017 Telegraph article, the vocal coach sold Diana's tapes to Britain's Channel 4 after her death — much to the dismay of Diana's family, who claimed ownership of the tapes.

Many know of Prince Charles' infidelities within his marriage to Diana, but before her death, not many knew of Diana's numerous affairs. Ken Wharfe, Princess Diana's chief bodyguard, wrote of Diana's affair with playboy James Hewitt in his memoir "Diana: Closely Guarded Secret." The pair met at a party in 1986, and according to a transcript of Wharfe's memoir, "It was clear from the way she spoke that she adored the man, even after the affair had cooled."

But the affair didn't heat up until after Prince Harry's birth and after Diana became aware of her husband's affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Diana and Hewitt would sneak off to her mother's countryside home in Devon, and with Wharfe's main responsibility being the protection of Diana, he went along. Unfortunately, the romance ended with Hewitt's stationing in Germany — a decision that Wharfe says was made due to the "emotional pressures placed on him by Diana." In other words, the playboy had had enough of his once-in-a-lifetime affair.

You might know of Diana's friendship with legendary singer Elton John, but you might not know of the rough patches that dotted their relationship. In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Elton revealed, "I loved her because she did so much for AIDS and was a great friend to me. We had out falling-outs but reconciled at the end."

According to a 2007 Vanity Fair article, Elton and Diana's brawl began after the publishing of "Rock and Royalty," a coffee table book by Gianni Versace. The campy publication, whose royalties donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, placed photos of the royal family around images of seemingly nude models — a creative liberty that surely would have angered members of the royal family, predominantly the queen. Elton and Diana's friendship almost permanently ended in a tiff, had they not reunited over the death of their mutual friend, Gianni Versace, later that year. "Gianni Versace was murdered then Diana rang me and we reconciled then, six weeks later, she's dead," Elton told The Sun.

In tapes released after her death, Diana starkly recounted her suicide attempts after having suffered from depression, bulimia, and the effects of Prince Charles' affair. Marie Claire published some of the audio transcripts from these tapes. "We stayed up there [at Balmoral] from August to October. I got terribly, terribly thin. People started commenting: 'Your bones are showing.' By October, I was in a very bad way. I was so depressed, and I was trying to cut my wrists with razor blades. ... I came down early [to London] to seek treatment, not because I hated Balmoral, but because I was in such a bad way," Diana revealed.

But the attempts didn't stop there. In a Daily Mail article written by Andrew Morton, author of "Diana: Her True Story," Morton references a second suicide attempt as detailed in the Diana tapes provided to him. "When I was four months pregnant with William I threw myself downstairs, trying to get my husband's attention, for him to listen to me," said Diana. Unfortunately, the attempt didn't phase Charles. "When he came back, you know, it was just dismissal..."

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Katie Couric didn't spare anyone in her revelatory tell-all memoir "Going There" (via E! News), released in 2021, but one person the veteran news journalist saw fit to venerate was Princess Diana. As Insider noted, Couric gushed over the People's Princess in the tome, describing her as stunning and having boasted an exquisitely "girlish charm." Although Diana was one of the most famous women in the world when they met in 1996, the former "Today" host was struck by their similarities. "At one point she turned to me and said, 'I like your lipstick,' which took me by surprise," Couric revealed. "I was flattered that she'd noticed." 

The two women also bonded over parenting. Diana asked the former news anchor how she managed to keep her children from being permanently glued to the television, admitting to "having a terrible time with William and Harry," who were 13 and 11 at the time, respectively. Couric advised the Princess of Wales to simply "hide the remote." However, although their chat was amiable and light-hearted, there was a "sadness" to Diana, who was finalizing her divorce from Prince Charles at the time, too.

Nowadays, Princess Diana is known predominantly for her humanitarian work and as an example of when the British tabloids go way too far to get a story. But she's also a bona fide fashion icon and, as it turns out, that was all by design. Amanda Wakeley, who met the Princess of Wales when she was still just an up-and-comer, got along well with her immediately, and the two formed a deep bond. As Wakeley told British Vogue, she made some of Diana's most empowering looks, including the perfectly tailored black blazer she wore to give a speech at the height of press intrusion into her eating disorder. Wakeley argued, "She used clothes to [send a] message very powerfully. Just look at the revenge dress."

Wakeley also pointed out that the People's Princess grew into her own sense of style after years of being in the public eye, and she credits much of that to their relationship. Acknowledging how young Diana was when she first came to prominence, Wakeley noted, "Diana used clothes to empower her. In the beginning, she was sort of wearing a costume. Her style became effortless as the years ticked on."

In the years since Princess Diana's death, we've heard repeatedly that she wasn't the woman the public knew. In fact, the beleaguered royal was much stronger and more competent than anybody truly appreciated. In an archival clip, featured as part of 2021 CNN docuseries "Diana," the princess and her new husband, Prince Charles, take part in a cringe-worthy interview during which they unconvincingly discuss their hopes for their future together. In particular, she sarcastically makes a quip about being "a good wife," joking that she couldn't be honest with Charles sitting right next to her, per People. As Angela Rippon, who conducted the interview back in the day alongside Andrew Gardner, reasoned in a follow-up chat, the moment was demonstrative of who Diana really was. 

She recalled, "There was something more to Diana, something that was not the marshmallow or the Play-Doh that was going to be molded into what they [the royals] wanted." Underneath it all was Diana's unbreakable sense of self, which would ultimately lead to her divorce from Charles. A press release for the series, in fact, noted it aims to demonstrate how Diana was "truly a blueprint for the modern woman."