The Horrible Reason Why Princess Diana Threw Herself Down a Set of Stairs While Pregnant

Princess Diana captured the world’s heart and became the “People’s Princess.” But it wasn’t until after her tragic death that much of the world got to know more about her personal side. Royal watchers came to learn about her darker side — how incredibly unhappy she was, especially while she was a royal. Here are some of the sad events that took place in Princess Diana’s life, and why these events took place.

For starters, what exactly happened

The story is heartbreaking. | Daniel Luna/AFP/Getty Images

It was revealed a few years before Princess Diana’s tragic death in 1997 that she had tried to commit suicide on numerous occasions during her marriage to Prince Charles. She reportedly suffered from bulimia, cut herself, and was prone to having intense emotional meltdowns. The first time she attempted to take her life occurred when she was pregnant with her first son, Prince William.

Next: Where did this information come from?

She tried to tell the world her story

Her attempts at asking for help went unsuccessful. | Vincent Amalvy/AFP/Getty Images

Diana herself revealed this information in audio tapes that she secretly sent to journalist Andrew Morton in 1991. Morton notoriously wrote the book “Diana: Her True Story” which chronicled all the hardships she went through while married to Prince Charles. He didn’t reveal until after her death that she had been his main source for the insider information.

Next: Speaking of Charles…

Did Prince Charles cause all this?

She didn’t receive any support from her husband. | Patrick Riviere/Getty Images

Princess Diana was allegedly having meltdowns even before she and Prince Charles were married. She knew that he was still in love with Camilla Parker Bowles, whom he cried over the night before the royal wedding. She said that learning about Charles and Camilla’s affair — while she was pregnant with Prince William, no less — is what made her develop bulimia and become suicidal.

Next: Her struggle wasn’t as private as many thought.

Did anyone else know about her struggle?

The Queen might have been aware of how she felt. | Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images

While royal watchers weren’t immediately hip to Princess Diana’s struggles, those within the palace walls were aware. The whole royal family allegedly knew about the bulimia, including Queen Elizabeth. In the audio tapes, which were transcribed by The Daily Mail, Diana said she was sure that Prince Charles had told the queen about her eating disorder, and that the queen thought bulimia was the reason  the marriage was failing.

Next: Then, came the attempts on her life.

The stairs incident

This is what happened. | Express Newspapers/Getty Images

Diana became so upset with Charles that she threw herself down a flight of stairs while she was four months pregnant. “I had told Charles I felt so desperate and I was crying my eyes out,” she said in the audio tapes. “He said I was crying wolf… So I threw myself down the stairs. The Queen comes out, absolutely horrified, shaking — she was so frightened.”

Next: This, sadly, was not the only incident.

Other attempts to take her life

Prince Charles didn’t reach out for help. | Carl Court/Getty Images

Sadly, the stairs incident wasn’t the only time Princess Diana put her life in jeopardy. “We had a few trying-to-cut-wrists, throwing things out of windows, breaking glass,” she said, recalling a time she threw herself against a glass display case at Kensington Palace. She explains that she “gave everybody a fright” but that Charles still didn’t take her seriously.

Next: All of this makes us wonder…

Did she ever get help?

When she died, she still hadn’t gotten the help she needed. | Jeff J. Mitchell/AFP/Getty Images

To make matters even more sad, it doesn’t appear that Princess Diana ever got the help and support she needed to battle her demons. She said in the tapes that she saw a couple therapists that the monarchy appointed to her, but that they didn’t help her. And when it came needing help with her marriage, she went to Queen Elizabeth for help, only to be turned away.

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