A 1986 Video Shows Diana ‘Breaking’ a Bottle on Charles’ Head And The Internet Had a Lot To Say

The royal family’s history is filled with iconic moments, but few have reignited the public’s interest as much as a resurfaced 1986 clip of Princess Diana breaking a sugar-glass bottle over Prince Charles’ head. Originally filmed during a visit to the set of The Living Daylights, the playful moment is now being reinterpreted as symbolic of the volatile relationship between the late princess and the current king. The internet has had mixed reactions to the resurfaced video.

As per CheatSheet, in 1986, Diana and Charles visited the Pinewood Studios set of The Living Daylights, the 15th James Bond film starring Timothy Dalton. While touring Q’s lab—a treasure trove of fictional spy gadgets—the couple witnessed a demonstration by the stunt team on how sugar glass bottles are safely used in action sequences.

According to actor Jeroen Krabbé, who played Russian General Koskov in the film, “We watched a show put on by the stunt guys where they smashed sugar glass bottles over their heads. I was standing in between the royals and I said to Princess Diana, ‘You should smash one over your husband’s head. ‘Oh I’d love to,’ she said. Thomas Wheatley and I were standing behind them and the photo was published the world over.” The aforementioned Thomas Wheatley later remarked that Diana may have acted with 'considerable enthusiasm,' a comment that some now interpret as reflective of the underlying tensions in her marriage.

As such, social media users had a lot to say about the resurfaced video. One user pointed out, "She said, “You didn’t tell me it was fake!” Someone else echoed a similar sentiment and tweeted, "Pity it wasn’t swapped out for a real one." Another critic jokingly speculated, "What if this is the reason she got killed?" Others added, "Guess even in royal circles cracking jokes can be quite literal watch out for flying glass Charles!" One person even quipped, "She knew about Camilla." 

Although the bottle-smashing incident was a harmless stunt, it occurred during a period when Diana and Charles’ marriage was unraveling. By 1986, Charles had resumed his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, while Diana struggled with feelings of betrayal and isolation.  According to Christopher Andersen’s book The King: The Life of Charles III, the marriage was marked by episodes of intense conflict. A former bodyguard also alleged that their fights were so explosive that palace staff worried violence was inevitable.

As per Fox News, Andersen wrote, "....there are shotguns and handguns for security and rifles [for] security forces… So many screaming and shouting [and] slammed doors. Don’t forget Diana, when she was three months pregnant with [Prince] William, she threw herself down the stairs and landed at the feet of the queen and Princess Margaret. So there [were] many violent episodes…So they tried to keep the weapons away from the royals." Diana’s former protection officer Ken Wharfe described the atmosphere as 'highly combustible,' with slammed doors and heated arguments becoming daily occurrences. One particularly chilling incident involved Charles allegedly throwing a wooden bootjack at Diana, narrowly missing her head.