If you’ve watched the recent interview Meghan Markle and Prince Harry did with Oprah, you will have noticed the parallels drawn between Meghan and Princess Diana. Both non-royals by blood, married into the family, didn’t quite fit in. Thankfully for Meghan and Harry, their story seems more optimistic. We all know how things ended for Diana. She was very candid in some of her interviews about her life as a royal, so here are some of her quotes that will give you an insight into what it’s like to be a member (or shall we say “outsider”) of the royal family.
1. When talking about her wedding day, Diana once shared in an interview that she just felt her whole life change, like she was taken over by this machine and she had a bad feeling about it.
“The day I walked down the aisle at St. Paul’s Cathedral, I felt that my personality was taken away from me, and I was taken over by the royal machine.”
2. Diana became a Princess by marrying Prince Charles, but she was so much more than just another “wife”. She found herself let down by a few men, and when she was divorced and single she was asked how she felt about her life now. This is what she answered:
“You know, people think that at the end of the day a man is the only answer. Actually, a fulfilling job is better for me.”
3. Despite feeling trapped in the machine of the royal family Diana found a role for herself, something that came to her easily, something that brought her joy.
“Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society”
4. When asked if she thinks she’ll ever become the Queen, Diana answered this:
“I’d like to be a queen of people’s hearts, in people’s hearts, but I don’t see myself being Queen of this country. I don’t think many people will want me to be Queen.”
5. We know that being a member of the royal family means a lot of rules and procedures. Diana wasn’t a huge fan of that. In fact, this was a reason the royal family didn’t like her.
“I do things differently because I don’t go by a rule book, because I lead from the heart, not the head, and albeit that’s got me into trouble in my work, I understand that. But someone’s got to go out there and love people and show it.”
6. Diana has admitted to suffering from bulimia and she saw it as a cry for help, while the royal family decided to use it as a way to discredit her.
“I had bulimia for a number of years. And that’s like a secret disease.
You inflict it upon yourself because your self-esteem is at a low ebb, and you don’t think you’re worthy or valuable.
It was a symptom of what was going on in my marriage.
I was crying out for help, but giving the wrong signals, and people were using my bulimia as a coat on a hanger: they decided that was the problem — Diana was unstable.”
7. After Diana and Prince Charles divorced it seemed like the royal family turned on her. When asked if she believed they were campaigning against her she said:
“People’s agendas changed overnight. I was now a separated wife of the Prince of Wales, I was a problem, I was a liability (seen as), and how are we going to deal with her? This hasn’t happened before.”
She won’t go quietly, that’s the problem. I’ll fight to the end because I believe that I have a role to fulfill, and I’ve got two children to bring up.”
8. And finally, Princess Diana had this to say about her opinion on the royal family:
“It’s vital the monarchy keeps in touch with the people — it’s what I try to do”.
