Princess Diana's most controversial moments and the times that broke royal tradition
The late Princess of Wales broke the mould in many instancesPrincess Diana wasn’t one to follow the crowd and often broke stigmas during controversial moments throughout her life as a royal. This included tackling long-standing traditions within the royal family.
Diana married into the monarchy in 1981 when she and the then Prince Charles tied the knot. They went on to have two children – Prince William and Prince Harry – but split in 1992.
Diana tragically died in August 1997 at the age of 36, following a car accident in Paris.
Both during her time within the royal family and then after her split from Charles, Princess Diana had some moments which were seen as somewhat controversial.
Princess Diana’s most controversial moments – wedding vows
Diana married Charles at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29 in 1981. However, during her vows, Diana omitted the line that she would “obey” her husband.
Instead, Diana vowed to “love him, comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health”.
At the time, it was seen as controversial. Other royals, including Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and Prince Edward’s wife Sophie, had included the line in their vows.
But more recently, Meghan Markle and Kate, Princess of Wales, followed Diana’s lead.
Princess Diana gave birth in hospital rather than a royal palace
A year into marriage, Diana and Charles welcomed their son Prince William in June 1982.
But breaking with another tradition, Diana gave birth to William in hospital rather than at a royal residence.
Up until 1977, when Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips was born, royal births were at home.
However, in 1982, Diana gave birth at St. Mary’s Hospital and later posed for photos outside the Lindo Wing. It’s a tradition that’s since been followed by Kate and Prince William.
Diana did the same for son Prince Harry in 1984.
Diana on sending William and Harry to school
Another decision Diana made with her children was sending them to school rather than having them homeschooled or privately tutored.
Prince William became the first future monarch to be entirely educated within the public school system.
A young William attended Mrs Mynors’ nursery in 1985 before attending Wetherby Prep School.
Then he attended Ludgrove independent boarding school before going to Eton College in 1995.
The same happened with Diana and Charles’ younger son Harry. Diana famously competed alongside other parents in Harry’s sports day in 1991.
Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe told OK! in 2022: “William and Harry broke the mould by going to the same school, but if you look at the queen’s children, they were all schooled separately.”
Princess Diana challenged the stigma around Aids
The Princess of Wales broke a huge stigma that surrounded Aids in the mid-80s. Due to a lack of understanding, HIV/Aids terrified many.
But in 1987, Princess Diana broke the stigma when she opened the UK’s first unit for patients with HIV/Aids.
In front of cameras, Diana shook the hand of a patient without wearing gloves. It challenged the belief that HIV/Aids was passed from people through touch.
In a statement at the time, Diana said: “HIV does not make people dangerous to know. You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it.”
Diana’s brother Charles Spencer told People in 2017: “She was very real and very about human contact. And what really mattered that day was to get across a very clear message that, ‘I’m going to touch this gentleman — and you can all exist in a community with people who are suffering, and we must help.'”
Diana, Princess of Wales’ controversial moments include Panorama interview
In 1995, three years after her split from Charles, Princess Diana made a controversial decision as she sat down for a tell-all interview with BBC’s Panorama.
Read more: Princess Diana’s ‘lonely’ final Christmas without William and Harry before her death
She spoke with Martin Bashir about her time in the monarchy, as well as Charles’ alleged affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
During the interview, she also opened up about her mental health struggles and her battle with bulimia.
The interview itself has faced criticism in recent years. Following an investigation into how the interview was obtained in 2021, it found that Bashir had secured the Panorama interview through deception and faking documents.
The royal family received an apology from the BBC.
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