Never-before-heard voice recordings of Princess Diana are set to be played in a new three-part documentary titled Diana Unheard. The series features the Princess in her own words, with the tapes reportedly covering ground similar to that explored by her brother, Earl Spencer, in his recent book Swan Song: Diana My Sister.
The documentary comes nearly 30 years after the Princess died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Its producers told Deadline their aim was to reframe the narrative around the Princess and give her a voice.
Producers Aim to Reframe Narrative
Kerene Barefield, Creative Director of Love Monday TV, which produces Diana Unheard, said: “The media always gave us this tragedy that Diana was sad and lonely and she was manipulated.”
She added: “These tapes don’t tell that story at all. They tell a story of an incredibly brave woman who had agency and knew what she wanted and how she was going to get to it.”
Tapes Cover Personal Relationships
In the tapes, the Princess can reportedly be heard talking about Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, her sons, and the line of succession. There is also reportedly audio in which Diana discusses her relationship with now-Queen Camilla.
Barefield told Deadline: “There’s a story that they’re at an event, and she confronts Camilla because she’s been downstairs with Charles for a long period of time.”
Recordings Date Back to 1991
The recordings were made between Diana and her friend James Colthurst in 1991. They were used in Andrew Morton’s book Diana: Her True Story, published in 1992, though Diana’s involvement was not revealed until after her death in 1997.
Barefield asked Morton where the tapes were. She said: “I think for a long period of time, he just wanted to close them away.” Earl Spencer’s book about his sister was released in September. The Daily Express has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
