Princess Diana Called One Experience a "Traumatic Nightmare," Which Left Her "Close to Tears," According to a Former Royal Butler

Throughout her life, Princess Diana was fairly candid about her experience joining the Royal Family. Following her tragic death in August 1997, some of the people who worked for Diana started writing about their own experiences interacting with the former Princess of Wales.

In his book A Royal Duty, former butler, Paul Burrell, opened up about some of the things Diana allegedly told him during his tenure at the palace. According to Burrell, the princess particularly struggled with moving on from the life she had before she married King Charles.

"The wrench of leaving behind her old life, the flat in London and the children at the kindergarten [where she worked], was upsetting," Burrell explained. "When she returned one day to see the children, all the youngsters she adored kept tugging on her sleeves and asking, 'Where have you been?' and 'When are you coming back?'"

According to Burrell, "She found the whole experience a 'traumatic nightmare' and left close to tears."

Visiting her old home was also challenging, according to Burrell. "It wasn't any easier when she returned to her old flat at No. 60 Colherne Court, where she lived with female flatmates, to remove her most precious possessions," the former butler wrote. "She was alone with her thoughts in a flat full of memories as she polished and vacuumed. As she closed the door behind her, she had felt the urge to cry, she said."

Although Diana felt some moments of sadness about leaving her old life behind, she reportedly also felt some excitement.

"But, deep down, she was excited, too, and knew she had to be strong," Burrell noted. "To tackle the boredom she kept busy."

While it can't have been easy to walk away from her career and lifestyle, Diana reportedly embraced her future as a member of the Royal Family.