Princess Diana Allegedly Had a Complicated Relationship With the Paparazzi

As one of the world's most famous women, Princess Diana was regularly photographed, both at events and in her daily life. The former Princess of Wales allegedly developed an unusual relationship with the paparazzi, which apparently involved tipping off photographers. However, Diana was also called "paranoid," a term Prince Harry dismissed, suggesting his mother was correct for fearing the intense press intrusion she experienced.

Royal expert Tina Brown discussed Princess Diana's relationship with the paparazzi in her book The Palace Papers, released in 2022. "Time and time again, as we have seen, Diana chose to invade her own privacy, often for the capricious reason of making the men in her life jealous," Brown alleged (via the Daily Mail). According to Brown, Diana attempted to control the use of her image at times, even through the press often invaded her privacy.

Discussing some of the tactics Diana employed with the paparazzi, including allegedly revealing where they might spot her with a new lover, Brown wrote, "This is classic, authentic Diana—tricky, seductive, playing a double game."

Tina Brown

The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor—The Truth and the Turmoil

Despite suggesting that Diana was sometimes able to control the paparazzi, Brown admitted that the actions of some photographers were unforgivable. "It would be unreasonable to ask that William and Harry forgive the paparazzi who trained their cameras on their beloved mother's dying moments in the Paris tunnel," Brown wrote, referencing the fatal car crash that took Diana's life in August 1997. "Today, her sons express their lasting contempt for the press in different ways: William with a grim, steely obsession with control; Harry with tortured, vocal...condemnation."

Princess Diana wearing a striped skirt suit in front of a pen of photographers — "This is classic, authentic Diana—tricky, seductive, playing a double game."

Reflecting on Princess Diana's relationship with photographers, Brown alleged, "The camera was Diana's fatal attraction and her most potent weapon—the source of so much power and so much pain. She was always gambling with those odds."

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.