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, Dianawas only 19 and not used to all the attention she was getting. She had a habitof constantly smiling and the press couldn’t get enough of her. She was essentiallyat their mercy since she didn’t know how to react or respond to all theattention that was showered on her from then on.
Princess Diana talks to the public directly
Eventually, Diana was able to come to the realization thatshe 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-sellingbiography written by Andrew Morton called Diana:Her True Story – In Her Own Words. In it, her life is highlighted withcritical detail. She even spoke about her broken marriage with Prince Charles andher lonely life.
A life in the constant spotlight
After the novel’s release, people viewed Princess Diana inan even more sympathetic light. She was the relatable Princess of Wales dealingwith media publicity constantly. Absolutely anything and everything she did mightconstitute as news and it was enough to destress anyone.
“Then it all started to build up, sort of like the presswere being unbearable following my every move,” Princess Diana said in tapedconversations with Dr. James Colthurst for source material for the novel. “Iunderstand they had a job, but people did not understand they had binoculars onme the whole time.”
Diana participates in the Panorama Interview
Diana was extremely candid about her time in the RoyalFamily in the novel and her star seemed to rise even higher than it alreadyhad. But that wasn’t Diana’s only time getting extremely honest and upfrontwith the world. She also participated in the BBC’sPanorama Interview with Martin Bashir in 1995 and she spoke about hermarriage in jaw-dropping detail.
When asked about her husband’s infamous affair with CamillaParker Bowles and if it was a factor in the marriage falling apart, Diana said thefamous line: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bitcrowded.”
Why did Princess Diana have a strange relationship with the media?
As one of the most famous people in the world and the mostphotographed, she had a unique relationship with the press. She was followedand harassed on a regular basis. Imagine being constantly exposed and that’sbasically how Diana must have felt continuously with no reprieve. Eventually,Diana turned things around on the media and used them to her own advantage. Shewanted her side of the story to be told surrounding her life and marriage andshe didn’t hold back when given the chance.
No one has a relationship with the media quite like PrincessDiana did. It was such a strange situation that no one else really comes closeto experiencing the same thing now except for Diana’s children, Prince Williamand Prince Harry as well as their families. The media wasn’t always kind toDiana, but she used it to her advantage in the best way she knew how.
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