Princess Diana did suffer from an eating disorder called bulimia. This problem was exposed in the fourth season of the series The Crown. Diana developed this disorder after a bad comment from Prince Charles about her figure.
According to the Mayo Clinic, bulimia is a serious and potentially fatal eating disorder. People suffering from this disease eat large amounts of food and then vomit, in an attempt to unhealthily get rid of the extra calories.
Lady Diana eating disorder
It was the Princess of Wales herself who confessed to her biographer, Andrew Morton, that she had suffered from bulimia. According to the biography ‘Diana: Her True Story’, the eating problem would have started as a result of her strained relationship with Prince Charles. At the age of 19, shortly before announcing their engagement, the heir to the throne made an unfortunate comment to her as he ran a hand around her waist, “You’re a bit chubby here, aren’t you?”, Charles told her.
Her future husband’s words caused her a lot of tension that later increased when she learned of his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles.
As time went by, Diana began to lose weight rapidly and the media soon took notice.
“The first time I was measured for my wedding dress, my waist was 73 centimeters. The day I got married, I was 60 centimeters,” revealed the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Diana was harassed by the press because of her weight and at the same time she had to deal with Charles and Camilla’s “secret” romance, the whole situation exhausted her a lot.
“The bulimia was already dreadful. Absolutely horrible, it was happening four times a day on the yacht (where they spent part of their honeymoon). Everything I could find I would gobble down and make myself sick,” she admitted in conversation with Morton.
Princess Diana’s bulimia spirals out of control
On another occasion, the princess noted that after a fight with Prince Charles, she threw herself down the stairs.
“I didn’t care that I was carrying a child. I hurt my stomach. The Queen came out totally horrified, she was shaking, she was very frightened. Charles was riding and when he came back he was indifferent.”
Queen Elizabeth II knew the princess had an eating problem and blamed bulimia for the problems Charles and Diana were having. Everyone in the palace saw Diana’s illness as a problem of the marriage and not a consequence of the marriage.
In 1990, Diana’s battle with bulimia finally came to an end, which helped her resume her life in a more mature way. Two years later she met with Morton and revealed to him all the details of her bulimia, among other secrets of her real life.
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