Princess Diana's unhappy marriage to Prince Charles isn't exactly a secret, but the devastating nature of their relationship is finally being chronicled by Lady Di herself thanks to a series of recently-released audio transcripts (opens in new tab) which served as the source material for Andrew Morton's Diana: Her True Story. Here, the heart-breaking takeaways.
"My husband put his hand on my waistline and said: 'Oh, a bit chubby here, aren't we?' and that triggered off something in me. And the Camilla thing. I was desperate, desperate. I remember the first time I made myself sick. I was so thrilled because I thought this was the release of tension.... The first time I was measured for my wedding dress, I was 29 inches around the waist. The day I got married, I was 23½ inches. I had shrunk into nothing from February to July. I had shrunk to nothing."
"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. It rained and rained and rained. I came down early [to London] to seek treatment, not because I hated Balmoral, but because I was in such a bad way."
On Finding Out Charles' Was in Love with Another Woman:
"The first thing that hit me was my [future] husband sending Camilla Parker Bowles flowers when she had meningitis: 'To Gladys from Fred'....I once heard him on the telephone in his bath on his hand-held set, saying: 'Whatever happens, I will always love you.' I told him afterwards that I had listened at the door, and we had a filthy row."
On Catching Charles Red-Handed:
"Somebody in his office told me that my husband had had a bracelet made for her, which she wears to this day. It's a gold chain bracelet with a blue enamel disc. It's got 'G and F' entwined in it, 'Gladys' and 'Fred.' I walked into this man's office one day and said: 'Oh, what's in that parcel?' He said: 'Oh, you shouldn't look at that.' I said: 'Well, I'm going to look at it.' I opened it, and there was [the] bracelet, and I said: 'I know where this is going.' I was devastated. This was about two weeks before we got married."
On Charles Being Obsessed with Her:
"He'd found the virgin, the sacrificial lamb, and in a way he was obsessed with me. But it was hot and cold, hot and cold. You never knew what mood it was going to be—up and down, up and down."
Follow Marie Claire on F (opens in new tab)acebook (opens in new tab) for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.
-
The Agenda: Los AngelesHow to prepare for a visit to the City of Angels.
-
Our Editor's Favorite Curl-Defining Leave-In Conditioner Doubles As a Moisturizer for Skin
Stay hydrated, stay happy.
-
Lucy Liu Opened Up About Her Decision to Have a Child Via Surrogate in Her Late 40s: "I Didn't Have a Plan"
It felt like the right time for her.
-
Sarah Hyland and Adam Devine Play 'How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?'
The 'Modern Family' stars reunited for the 'Pitch Perfect' spinoff series.
-
The 78 Best Celebrity Couple Halloween Costumes of All Time
Honestly, we're impressed.
-
Super Rare Photos of Queen Elizabeth as a Young Woman
From childhood snapshots to portraits as a young princess, beautiful and rare photos of the late Queen Elizabeth as a young woman.
-
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's Relationship: A Timeline
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles has ascended to the throne as king.
-
Who Is Next in Line for the British Throne, Explained
And yes—Harry and Archie are still in the line of succession.
-
Who Is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Fiancé Riley Roberts?
AOC's husband-to-be is an "easygoing redhead" who lives with her in D.C.
-
68 Times the Kardashians Posed Fully Nude and Owned It
And we mean fully nude—as in, not a shred of clothing.
-
Who Is Jonathan Owens, Simone Biles's Fiancé and NFL Player?
"The easiest yes!" Simone wrote about the couple's engagement.
