Royal Author Says Diana 'Felt Desperate' During William’s Christening — 42 Years Ago Today
To the outside world, Prince William’s christening in 1982 was a regal affair. Held at 11 am in Buckingham Palace’s Music Room, the same location used for generations of royal births, the ceremony marked a key milestone in the life of the heir to the throne. But behind Palace walls, the reality for Princess Diana was far from the fairytale the public saw. At just six weeks postpartum, Diana was struggling with postnatal depression, emotional isolation, and cracks already forming in her marriage to then-Prince Charles.
According to the Daily Mail, years later, Diana shared the ordeal with her biographer Andrew Morton, who, in a revised edition of his explosive book Diana: Her True Story, recalled just how difficult that day felt. Diana recalled feeling crushed by how the entire event was handled around her newborn son. She allegedly said, "Nobody asked me when it was suitable for William… 11 am couldn’t have been worse… I wasn’t very well, and I just bawled my eyes out.”
For the occasion, the late Queen, the Queen Mother, and senior royals gathered around William, who was dressed in the antique Christening gown once commissioned by Queen Victoria. "Endless pictures of the Queen, Queen Mother, Charles, and William. I was excluded that day," Diana detailed further to Morton. She added, "I felt desperate because I had literally just given birth. William was only 6 weeks old, and it was all decided around me. Hence the ghastly pictures." Diana's emotional state spilled over to her newborn son. "William started crying, too. Well, he just sensed that I wasn’t exactly hunky dory," she shared.
As per Marie Claire, Diana’s sense of exclusion wasn’t limited to the schedule; it extended to the people around her. The godparents selected for William were a roll call of royal aristocracy, with King Constantine II of Greece, Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Duchess of Westminster, among others, but no relative of Diana's. And one also notably missing was Princess Anne. Though Anne had named Charles as godfather to her son, Peter Phillips, she wasn’t offered the same courtesy. Royal biographer Robert Lacey suggested it wasn’t Charles’s decision. He said, “He had very much wanted to invite his sister, only to be blocked by his wife.” Tensions between Diana and Anne were running high. When asked about William’s birth during an overseas trip, Anne, who is known for her blunt replies, reportedly responded coldly: “I didn’t know she had one.”
Even the matter of naming their child sparked conflict. Charles favored traditional names like Arthur or Albert. But it was Diana who pushed for William and Harry, winning out on the first names while Charles’s preferences were slotted into the middle. Thus, William Arthur Philip Louis was christened, his name a blend of historical legacy and parental tug-of-war.
Despite the undercurrents, Charles did break royal precedent by being present in the delivery room, becoming the first male royal to witness the birth of his child. He later wrote to his godmother expressing gratitude for being by Diana’s side, describing it as a moment of deep connection.