Princess Diana's Ex-Bodyguard Reveals the Painful Morning Ritual She Couldn't Give Up
While the world would expect someone with Diana's stature to avoid reading about themselves, the Princess did the exact opposite.
Princess Diana was one of the most talked-about women in the world, and she knew exactly how closely the public and press followed her every move. The late Princess reportedly read almost everything that was written about her and took things into her own hands if she didn't like what she saw on paper.
While the world would expect someone with Diana's stature to avoid reading about themselves to protect their mental peace, the Princess did the exact opposite. As per her former bodyguard Ken Wharfe, Diana would begin her mornings by going through the newspapers, reading the headlines about herself. Not only did she closely examine the positives, but she also read the negative comments.
In a conversation with Marie Claire, Wharfe added, "I always remember Diana would go down to the kitchens at Kensington Palace, where the chef would lay out the morning’s newspapers across the deep freezer." He continued, “Inevitably, if she wasn’t on the front page, she’d be on pages three, four, or five.” Wharfe explained how Diana read the stories about her marriage failing and understood that media attention was simply part of being a member of the royal family.
“She lived with it,” he said, adding that she “understood it was part and parcel of her job.” Wharfe further shared that the Princess would also call the journalist if they wrote ill of her and would even invite them over to set the narrative straight. Previously, several other journalists like Ingrid Seward and Andrew Morton have shared how they were close to Diana as she would often call them over.
Wharfe added, “To read those headlines first thing in the morning, then get into a car or a helicopter, fly somewhere like Manchester, Nottingham, or anywhere else in the world, and immediately perform — that takes a remarkable level of professionalism." He admitted that he often wondered about the emotional toll it took on her. “The royal family is a bit like a traveling theater,” he explained.
He continued, “You move from one place to the next, and the moment that door opens, you’re on stage. You’re only as good as your performance. The more professional your performance, the more popular you become. And in that respect, Diana was exceptional.” For Diana, reading the headlines may have been painful, but it also gave her a sense of what the world was saying about her and perhaps, in a life where so much was outside her control, that knowledge mattered.
