Why Princess Diana "Felt Desperate" at Prince William's Christening in 1982, Saying the Event Was "Ghastly" and "Couldn't Have Been Worse"

Diana didn't hold back when she relayed her feelings to a royal biographer.

Princess Diana wears a pink floral dress and pink hat to hold Prince William on August 4, 1982 at his royal christening
(Image credit: Getty Images)

While Prince William's christening on August 4, 1982, may have looked like a regal affair to outsiders, Princess Diana wasn't a fan of the official royal event. In fact, during an interview with her biographer, the former Princess of Wales revealed why the milestone was so "ghastly," and made worse by other members of the Royal Family.

In Andrew Morton's book, Diana: Her True Story—In Her Own Words, the princess recalled attending Prince William's christening. Having welcomed her first child on June 21, 1982, Princess Diana was experiencing postpartum depression, and she felt as though her husband's family didn't support her.

"Nobody asked me when it was suitable for William," Diana said of the date and time of the christening (via the Daily Mail). "11 a.m. couldn't have been worse. Endless pictures of The Queen, Queen Mother, Charles, and William. I was excluded totally that day."

Princess Diana wears a pink floral dress and pink hat to hold Prince William on August 4, 1982 at his royal christening

"I was excluded totally that day."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Diana further explained, "I felt desperate because I had literally just given birth. William was only 6 weeks old and it was all decided around me. Hence the ghastly pictures." Reflecting on the most difficult aspects of the day, Diana told Morton, "I wasn't very well and I just blubbed my eyes out. William started crying too. Well, he just sensed that I wasn't exactly hunky dory."

Princess Diana wears a pink floral dress and pink hat to hold Prince William on August 4, 1982 at his royal christening

"William started crying too."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Further conflict arose when it came to giving William his moniker. "Charles wanted to call his first son Arthur and his second Albert, after Queen Victoria's consort," Morton revealed in his biography of Diana. "William and Harry were Diana's choices while her husband's preferences were used in their children's middle names."

Sadly, it sounds as though William's christening wasn't the favorable moment it should have been for his mother Diana.

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

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.