Home / Latest News / Princess Diana

Princess Diana Was 'Not The Marshmallow Or The Play-Doh That Was Going To Be Molded Into What The Royals Wanted,' Interviewer Says

Princess Diana was 'not the marshmallow or the play-doh that was going to be molded into what the royals wanted,' an interviewer recalled.

princess diana molded royals
Source: MEGA

Even though Princess Diana was part of the royal family, she made sure to stand her ground and do things her own way.

In the upcoming documentary series Diana, which will debut on CNN on Sunday, October 10, the late princess and her then-husband, Prince Charles, took part in an interview ahead of their 1981 wedding — and things were a bit uncomfortable.

HOME SWEET HOME! FROM BUCKINGHAM PALACE TO WINDSOR CASTLE — SEE MAGNIFICENT PHOTOS OF THE BRITISH ROYAL RESIDENCES

ITV newscaster Andrew Gardner asked Diana if she was excited to move to her fiancé's Highgrove estate.

"Oh yes, very much so," Diana, then 20, says, adding, "looking forward to being a good wife."

"Gracious," Charles replies.

"I have to say that, you're sitting there!" she exclaims.

Angela Rippon, who conducted the interview alongside Gardner, goes into more detail about that moment.

"There was something more to Diana," she shares. "Something that was not the marshmallow or the Play-Doh that was going to be molded into what they [the royals] wanted. Running through all of it was a backbone, a knowledge of her own self."

The series will "re-examine the life of an icon through the lens of modernity: reframing her story to discover the real woman behind the 'People's Princess,'" the press release states.

BONDING TIME! QUEEN ELIZABETH & PRINCESS ANNE VISIT THE EDINBURGH CLIMATE CHANGE INSTITUTE — PHOTOS

Recently, a new book called The Secret Royals: Spying and the Crown, from Victoria to Diana explores her relationship with Charles and how she didn't want to conform to the firm's rules.

"Not surprisingly, Charles and Diana became intensely secretive and at times tried to evade their own security," an excerpt, which was published by the Daily Mail, reads. "Diana was the worst. Even early in her marriage, she became rather good at giving her own security the slip. Like an intelligence operative, she knew how to elude her tail. This caused periodic panics when royal flunkies realized she had slid out to go shopping down the King’s Road protected only by a pair of stylish sunglasses."

"After the couple separated, she was even more reckless. In the Austrian mountain resort of Lech, she evaded her protection team by making a night-time leap into deep snow off a first-floor balcony at her hotel and then going for a walk," the authors write. "Her protection officer later asked her: ‘Ma’am, what were you thinking?’ He left her service, and thereafter she dispensed with routine police protection — a dangerous strategy indeed."

GET BREAKING ROYAL NEWS
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

More Stories

While Andrew has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons, his encounter with an alleged stalker has left everyone scared.
By Medha Sengupta · AUG 7, 2026
Kate Middleton's latest Wimbledon outfit wasn't all-new—and that's exactly what caught fashion fans' attention!
By Mehak Walia · JUL 13, 2026
Getting invited to the Swift-Kelce wedding became a race, a status symbol, as numerous high-profile individuals lobbied to get an inside pass.
By Mary Anthony · JUL 6, 2026
Prince William joked about Travis Kelce’s most memorable moment being outside his football career.
By Mary Anthony · JUL 3, 2026
Princess Anne stepped out in this iconic dress from 1984 and royal fans are impressed!
By Hrishita Das · JUN 27, 2026
Kate Middleton and Melinda Gates reportedly came together at Windsor Castle over a shared passion for a cause they both support.
By Ira Deokule · JUN 25, 2026
Prince William and Robert Irwin's appearance at a climate event was meant to inspire change, but fans quickly focused on something else.
By Mary Anthony · JUN 24, 2026
Royal watchers may have spotted a subtle shift in the monarchy during Trooping the Colour 2026, and it's closely aligned with Prince William's long-term plans for the institution.
By Mary Anthony · JUN 13, 2026
As King Charles celebrates Trooping the Colour, actress Helen Mirren has been awarded one of Britain's rarest honors.
By Hrishita Das · JUN 13, 2026
Meghan Markle treats fans to a new family photo carousel featuring Prince Harry, Prince Lilibet, and a sweet nod to pop icon Beyoncé.
By Ira Deokule · JUN 10, 2026