The Real Reason Princess Diana Had Such a Strange Relationship With the Press

Princess Diana had a rather complicated relationship with the media. From the very beginning of her courtship with Prince Charles, she was thrust into the royal spotlight. People couldn’t get enough of her and they were spellbound. Eventually, Princess Diana learned to use all the attention she received to her own advantage when she chose to speak directly to the people through the media. But why did Diana have such a strange relationship with the press?

Diana becomes the most photographed woman in the world

In the early days of her engagement to Prince Charles, Diana was only 19 and not used to all the attention she was getting. She had a habit of constantly smiling and the press couldn’t get enough of her. She was essentially at their mercy since she didn’t know how to react or respond to all the attention that was showered on her from then on.

Princess Diana talks to the public directly

Eventually, Diana was able to come to the realization that she could use the press to her own advantage and tell her side of things. Princess Diana spoke out very publicly with the release of her best-selling biography written by Andrew Morton called Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words. In it, her life is highlighted with critical detail. She even spoke about her broken marriage with Prince Charles and her lonely life.

A life in the constant spotlight

After the novel’s release, people viewed Princess Diana in an even more sympathetic light. She was the relatable Princess of Wales dealing with media publicity constantly. Absolutely anything and everything she did might constitute as news and it was enough to destress anyone.

“Then it all started to build up, sort of like the press were being unbearable following my every move,” Princess Diana said in taped conversations with Dr. James Colthurst for source material for the novel. “I understand they had a job, but people did not understand they had binoculars on me the whole time.”

Diana participates in the Panorama Interview

Diana was extremely candid about her time in the Royal Family in the novel and her star seemed to rise even higher than it already had. But that wasn’t Diana’s only time getting extremely honest and upfront with the world. She also participated in the BBC’s Panorama Interview with Martin Bashir in 1995 and she spoke about her marriage in jaw-dropping detail.

When asked about her husband’s infamous affair with Camilla Parker Bowles and if it was a factor in the marriage falling apart, Diana said the famous line: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

Why did Princess Diana have a strange relationship with the media?

As one of the most famous people in the world and the most photographed, she had a unique relationship with the press. She was followed and harassed on a regular basis. Imagine being constantly exposed and that’s basically how Diana must have felt continuously with no reprieve. Eventually, Diana turned things around on the media and used them to her own advantage. She wanted her side of the story to be told surrounding her life and marriage and she didn’t hold back when given the chance.

No one has a relationship with the media quite like Princess Diana did. It was such a strange situation that no one else really comes close to experiencing the same thing now except for Diana’s children, Prince William and Prince Harry as well as their families. The media wasn’t always kind to Diana, but she used it to her advantage in the best way she knew how.