In the years following their celebrated 1981 wedding, the world watched Prince Charles and Princess Diana as a fairy-tale couple. However, by 1982, the 21-year-old Princess of Wales was locked in a harrowing private battle with severe mental illness, a struggle marked by bulimia, acute anxiety, and desperate cries for help.
The Hidden Crisis Behind the Palace Walls
Shortly after the birth of her first son, Prince William, in June 1982, Diana's public appearances dwindled as concern for her welfare grew. Behind the scenes, she was grappling with bulimia nervosa, cripplingly low self-esteem, and what is believed to have been severe postnatal depression. Royal biographer Jonathan Dimbleby, writing in Charles's authorised biography, documented a series of heartbreaking 'suicide bids' by the young princess.
These desperate acts included throwing herself against glass cabinets, cutting her wrists, and, while four months pregnant with William, throwing herself down a staircase at Sandringham in front of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Friends later described these incidents as agonising 'cries for help', details of which were disclosed to journalist Andrew Morton.
A Desperate Cry for Attention and a Husband's Dismissal
In a recorded audio tape from 1991, Diana revealed the terrifying Sandringham incident in her own words. She explained it was a bid to get her husband's attention. "I threw myself down the stairs," she said. "The Queen comes out, absolutely horrified, shaking – she was so frightened." Diana added she knew she would not lose the baby, though she was bruised.
The Prince of Wales's reaction, upon returning from riding, was one of "total dismissal," according to Diana. "He just carried on out of the door." This perceived indifference compounded her despair. Staff had begun to notice her profound unhappiness, making allowances for her erratic behaviour.
Diana also described a later incident in June 1986, when her sister Jane noticed marks on her chest. The princess confessed she had heavily scratched herself with Charles's penknife after he dismissed her attempts to talk, accusing her of 'crying wolf'.
Intervention, Treatment, and a Lasting Legacy
As concern grew, Charles arranged for Diana to see a psychiatrist in the summer of 1982. According to royal expert Sally Bedell Smith, a desperate Charles later invited philosopher Laurens van der Post to Balmoral to help. Diana was reportedly prescribed Valium but refused it, paranoid the Royal Family was trying to sedate her.
She attended only eight therapy sessions with psychotherapist Dr Alan McGlashan. Intriguingly, it was a "distressed and bewildered" Charles who then began regular therapy with Dr McGlashan, continuing for 14 years. Medical opinions at the time varied; the Queen's former physician, Sir John Batten, believed Diana suffered from a rare, genetically linked disorder that risked 'dynamic disaster'.
Since Diana's tragic death in 1997, her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, have championed her legacy of speaking openly about mental health. In a 2017 documentary, Prince William affirmed his pride in his mother's openness, stating, "Mental health needs to be taken as seriously as physical health." The raw accounts from 1982 remain a stark testament to the profound personal suffering that existed amidst the glittering public life of a modern icon.
