Princess Diana Was 'So Ashamed' About Bulimia That Started After Prince Charles' Triggering Comment

It has been almost three decades since the passing of Princess Diana. Recently, more about her struggles surfaced in a book, Dancing With Diana. The Princess's former dance instructor, Anne Allan, shed light on Diana's battle with bulimia and the devastating impact it had on her life. Allan recounted a heartbreaking moment when Diana confided in her about her eating disorder: "Her head dropped and, unable to look me in the eye, she said, 'I am so ashamed, Anne, but I need to tell you that I suffer from bulimia.'" The shame Diana felt was real; she carried the weight silently for years.

Diana's bulimia began when she started attending high-profile royal functions, according to Allan. The pressure was immense. "Meeting so many people was terrifying to her and the feeling that she was being judged with every move she made or how she looked or what she said caused her to feel totally inadequate," Allan revealed. But what truly triggered Diana's descent into bulimia? The Princess herself pointed to a cruel comment made by Prince Charles, now King Charles III.

Diana shared a painful memory: "The bulimia started the week after we got engaged and would take nearly a decade to overcome. My husband put his hand on my waistline and said: 'Oh, a bit chubby here, aren't we?' and that triggered off something in me - and the Camilla thing," as per Vogue. The eating disorder became a coping mechanism for her. This was her way to exert control in a life where she often felt powerless.

It wasn't until 1992 that Diana first publicly acknowledged her struggle with bulimia. In an interview, she spoke candidly about the illness: "I had bulimia for a number of years. And that's like a secret disease. You inflict it upon yourself because your self-esteem is at a low ebb, and you don't think you're worthy or valuable." Diana described the temporary comfort bulimia provided, even likening it to 'having a pair of arms around you.' But the relief was fleeting, always followed by disgust and shame. "You fill your stomach up four or five times a day - some do it more - and it gives you a feeling of comfort," she explained. "Then you're disgusted at the bloatedness of your stomach, and then you bring it all up again."

The secrecy surrounding her condition only compounded Diana's suffering. "You have to know that when you have bulimia you're very ashamed of yourself and you hate yourself - and people think you're wasting food - so you don't discuss it with people," she admitted. The Princess kept her struggles hidden from the royal family because she thought they would be judgmental and misunderstand her. The dance instructor recalled advising Diana that 'understanding the disease was the way forward' and that learning not to judge herself would come with time, as per The Mirror.