Princess Diana Never Got Over This When In Public Despite Being The People’s Princess

Princess Diana, dubbed as the “People’s Princess,” won the hearts of the masses after making herself very accessible to the public. After her tumultuous relationship with Prince Charles came to light, everyone had become sympathetic to her, with outcries of support and love being thrown her way. However, years after her death, it has come to light that her moniker was a hard-earned one, after revealing her true feelings about being out in public.

Diana made it widely known that she felt out of place in the royal family and that a lot of what she went through was a struggle for her. Royal expert Ingrid Seward revealed in her book “The Queen And Di: The Untold the Story” that Diana was particularly insecure about one thing about being a royal, and she could never get used to it. Diana confessed that being out in the public was distressing for her and made her feel “claustrophobic.”

“No matter how hard she tried, Diana never succeeded in getting rid of that implosive feeling of claustrophobia which pressed on her whenever she was called upon to play the crowds,” explained Seward. “Almost at the end of her life she told: ‘I still feel really insecure about going out and meeting people I don’t know. After all these years I’ve never really got over it.’”

Although ironic, given Diana’s opening the doors of their home to the scrutiny of the public, it is understandable that being surrounded by the media with everyone watching can be quite daunting. It has been revealed that Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and even Queen Elizabeth face the same problem.

Seward revealed that the Queen, like Princess Diana, had struggled with public attention — despite all her experience at meeting the public and dignitaries. “[S]he continues to find it hard to make light conversation with people,” Seward recalled.

Likewise, Kate, who is naturally a shy person, finds public events “overwhelming.” In contrast, Meghan has had some media exposure due to her status as a former actress, to the envy of Prince William’s wife. Despite this previous exposure, ITV’s former royal editor, Tim Ewart, said that Meghan will have a more difficult time than Diana, noting that her life in the royal family is “beyond anything she could ever expect.”