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Princess Diana Spoke About Prince Charles' Jealousy Over Her Public Popularity
Princess Diana confirmed her husband envied her popularity in her 1995 interview with the BBC, explaining, "With the media attention came a lot of jealousy."
Diana confirmed her husband envied the devotion she inspired in her explosive 1995 interview with the BBC.
"With the media attention came a lot of jealousy; a great deal of complicated situations arose because of that," she said.
Season four of The Crown—specifically, the episode "Terra Nullius"—depicts Princess Diana and Prince Charles' royal tour of Australia in 1983, which dramatically boosted Diana's public popularity while doing little, in comparison, for Charles. As People reports, Emma Corrin's Diana pulls a face as Josh O'Connor's Charles speaks publicly about how lucky he is to have a wife like the Princess of Wales, causing Charles to retort, "That's the thing about ladies: you never quite know what they get up to when your back's turned." Later, the couple fight: "This was supposed to be my tour! My tour as Prince of Wales to shore up a key country in the Commonwealth at a very delicate moment politically," O'Connor’s Charles shouts, adding, "Thanks to you, people are laughing in my face."
Well, the real-life Diana confirmed that Charles envied the public's devotion to his wife, in her explosive 1995 interview with the BBC's Martin Bashir. "The pressure on us both as a couple with the media was phenomenal, and misunderstood by a great many people," she said. "We'd be going round Australia, for instance, and all you could hear was, 'Oh, she's on the other side.'" Diana subsequently clarified that the waiting crowds were expressing their disappointment that Charles was closer to them, rather than Diana, explaining, "They weren't on the right side to wave at me or to touch me."
(Image credit: David Levenson)
"Now, if you're a man like my husband, a proud man, you mind about that if you hear it every day for four weeks. And you feel low about it, instead of feeling happy and sharing it," Diana continued. When Bashir asked, "So they were expressing a preference even then for you rather than your husband?" she responded, "Yes—which I felt very uncomfortable with, and I felt it was unfair, because I wanted to share."
Diana confirmed Charles' jealousy when Bashir asked if she was "flattered" by the media attention she received. "No, not particularly," Diana replied, "because with the media attention came a lot of jealousy; a great deal of complicated situations arose because of that."
Side-By-Side Photos of Princess Diana In 'The Crown' vs. Real Life
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(Image credit: Netflix)
Originally Worn In May 1981
The newly engaged couple were photographed before their wedding at the Craigowan Lodge on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland. While it must have been hard to find a sweater as iconic as the pink one, would it be a crime to say I love the blue a little bit more?
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In November 1988
The one-shoulder gown of my dreams by Catherine Walker was seen at a dinner at the British Embassy in Paris, France, hosted by the British Ambassador to France. I will say I love the bright hues of The Crown's revamp.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In July 1981
The wedding dress to end all wedding dresses, Emma Corrin, who plays Diana, said 10 people had to help her put on the replica of Diana’s gown. The famous piece had some help from the original designers, Elizabeth and David Emanuel; they gave the show their patterns of the original dress to make their own crazily accurate version.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In July 1981
Polo match chic much? Princess Diana was seen wearing these iconic yellow overalls with a floral blouse at a polo match at Cowdray Park Polo Club in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. On The Crown, they added a floral knitted cardigan to the ensemble, and frankly, we're obsessed.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In July 1986
Instead of rollerblading through the halls of the royal palace, Princess Diana wore this outfit to play with her sons outside on Highgrove's grounds.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In September 1980
Before becoming a princess, Diana loved to wear sweater vests with feminine blouses while working at the Young England Kindergarten School in Pimlico, where she worked as a nursery assistant. Paying homage to her younger years would be nothing without the initial necklace around her neck.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In April 1987
At the Cannes Film Festival in France, Princess Diana wore a flowing chiffon blue ballgown designed by one of her favorite designers, Catherine Walker. The Queen's cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, once spilled that Prince Charles knew early on in their marriage of her massive popularity, reportedly telling aides, "They've come out to see my wife, they haven't come out to see me."
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In 1980
Before becoming a royal, Princess Diana had a thing for exquisite collars, like this lettuce trim sweater with a light jacket thrown over it. "Fashion might not have been a priority, but she loved to experiment," said her stylist Anna Harvey to Britain Vogue.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In March 1983
This very, very blue number was seen on the couple's first overseas tour together, a six-week tour of Australia and New Zealand with a 10-month old Prince William along for the ride. It was the first international trip for the 22-year-old and the first tour that William had ever been on.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In March 1983
Another great outfit was worn during the Australia and New Zealand tour! Diana wore a frilly blue gown by Bruce Oldfield to a gala dinner and dance at the Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. It's estimated during the tour that the couple shook around 2,000 hands per day, leaving Diana's with red and sore hands every evening.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In June 1981
At the London premiere of the Bond film For Your Eyes Only, Diana wore a red and gold spangled chiffon gown by Bellville Sassoon. The event took place a month before their royal wedding. Di, Prince Charles, and Princess Margaret were all in attendance.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In November 1980
Post-engagement, Diana was photographed leaving her apartment wearing a Christmas-y patterned cardigan. Her pie-crust-collar blouse was tied with a bow-tie detail that added a whimsical touch to the outfit.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In September 1982
At the Braemar Highland Games in Scotland, Di wore a marvelous button tartan suit by Caroline Charles and a tam o'shanter hat. She would later re-wear the suit to attend a tree-planting ceremony in Hyde Park a month later.
(Image credit: Netflix + Getty Images)
Originally Worn In July 1981
Diana wore a high-neck blue floral dress to their hour-long wedding rehearsal at St. Paul's church. Funny enough, First Lady Nancy Reagan was also in attendance at the pre-wedding event. "The thing I remember most was how young she was, young and happy," said Reagan on meeting Diana before her wedding. "I was sure it was going to be a wonderful marriage. We all thought it would be. It really did seem like the fairy tale that people still talk about."
Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.
