Why Princess Diana Felt "Let Down Terribly" on Her Wedding Day When Her Mother "Kept Crying"
"She kept...saying that she couldn't cope with the pressure."
Princess Diana's royal wedding to King Charles took place on July 29, 1981. Diana's wedding gown was inspired by a supermodel's "fairytale" dress, but body language experts suggested the royal was "shy" at her nuptials. And according to Diana herself, her own mother's behavior was a huge source of contention at the iconic royal wedding.
In the biography Diana: Her True Story—In Her Own Words, Andrew Morton discussed Princess Diana's thoughts on her mother's behavior at the wedding. According to Morton, Diana felt "let down terribly" by her mom, Frances Shand Kydd, at the royal wedding in July 1981, via the Daily Mail.
"She kept crying and being all valiant and saying that she couldn't cope with the pressure, I tended to think I was the one under pressure because I was the bride," Princess Diana explained, according to Morton.
The biography also alleged that, per Princess Diana, Frances was "hurt" when she wasn't included in any of the royal wedding preparation. Diana also claimed that her mother started taking anxiety medication, suggesting the stress of her daughter's wedding necessitated it.
Frances [blue dress, center] watches Princess Diana marry King Charles.
The biography also explored Diana's childhood, and how devastated the royal was when her parents divorced. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Diana's brother Charles Spencer explained, "While [Frances] was packing her stuff to leave, she promised Diana she'd come back to see her...Diana used to wait on the doorstep for her, but she never came."
"Diana used to wait on the doorstep for her, but she never came."
During his interview with The Sunday Times, Diana's brother elaborated, "Our father was a quiet, constant source of love, but our mother wasn't cut out for maternity...she couldn't do it. She was in love with someone else, infatuated really."
