One Royal Event Left Princess Diana "Nervous, Upset, and Emotionally Drained," Says Royal Author
"Her wedding to Charles was mere weeks away. As far as Diana was concerned, it was canceled."
Despite growing up as a member of the nobility, Princess Diana wasn't totally prepared for life within the Royal Family. In fact, mere months before her royal wedding to King Charles, Diana reportedly got cold feet while attending Prince Andrew's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle.
Elton John famously performed at the glitzy event on February 19, 1981, and later recalled his memories of the evening. But according to one royal author, Princess Diana didn't have an entirely positive experience at the party.
"Charles was behaving as if he was on duty and insisted, to the despair of his fiancée, on working the room and making sure he spoke with as many people as possible," royal expert Ingrid Seward shared in her book, My Mother and I.
Seward continued, "The younger crowd congregated in the disco, where the music was louder. Diana, nervous, upset and emotionally drained, danced frantically with first one man, then another, and eventually by herself."
Unfortunately, the experience allegedly had a fairly negative impact on the 19-year-old royal bride-to-be.
"She was distraught, flustered, and had no intention of ever going back."
One member of staff, Mark Simpson, reportedly grew concerned about the princess's well-being at sunrise "when he glanced out of the window and saw Diana in the quadrangle, cutting a gaunt figure in the half-light, looking exhausted, lost in her thoughts, but still moving in a slow, rhythmic time to the music that was now playing in her head."
In the early hours of the morning, Diana reportedly drove to her family's home in Northamptonshire, Althorp. "At that moment, she was distraught, flustered, and had no intention of ever going back," Seward explained. And according to the royal expert, Diana came close to calling off her nuptials altogether.
"Her wedding to Charles was mere weeks away," the royal expert wrote. "As far as Diana was concerned that morning, it was canceled. In her anger and despair, she had decided she was not going through with it."
"Charles was behaving as if he was on duty and insisted, to the despair of his fiancée, on working the room."
Diana's father, John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, "calmed her down and pointed out it would have been an act of gross discourtesy to break off the engagement to the future King so close to the wedding," Seward shared.
Had Diana's dad not convinced her to remain engaged to Charles, life would've turned out very differently for the young princess.
