Princess Diana's Recklessness: Jumping from the Second Floor, Attacking the Paparazzi, and Other Non-Royal Antics

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

24 years have passed since the death of the Queen of Human Hearts, and interest in her continues today. Her sincerity was amazing, and Princes William and Harry say with a smile that their mother was a real child until the last day. True, Diana's personal bodyguard does not share their affection, recalling with horror the days when he had to deal with the non-royal recklessness of the Princess of Wales.

Ken Wharf, Scotland Yard Police Inspector, served as a bodyguard to the British royal family for 16 years. And he saw Diana completely different than she appeared on the pages of the media.

Attack on pesky paparazzi

As you know, journalists and photographers did not leave Lady Dee alone for a minute. Even when she was vacationing with her sons in January 1989 on the private island of Necker, pesky paparazzi managed to get there, bypassing the guards. The proposal to bombard unwanted guests with water balloons came from William, but the princes began to tie elastic bands to trees to create a kind of slingshot with the full approval of their mother. According to Ken Wharf, Lady Dee herself took on the role of ammunition supplier. Apparently, unauthorized entry into private territory was prevented.

Jumping into the snow from the second floor

After her divorce from Prince Charles, while vacationing with her sons at a ski resort in Austria at the elite Arlberg hotel, Lady Dee simply jumped into the snow from a second floor window. Ken Wharf only learned of the princess's absence all night at six in the morning when he was awakened by an agitated security guard on duty at night. He said that Diana did not leave her room through the door, but entered the hotel at half past five. All the doors were locked at night and the princess, who wished to spend time out of sight of the guards, simply jumped out of the window from a six-meter height and spent the whole night somewhere. In her quest for freedom, she did not even think about the fact that she could fall on a stone and break all her bones. When Ken Wharf tried to find out what the princess was doing outside the hotel, she simply said that she was accountable for her actions. In essence, it was an act of independence and defiance.

Be like everyone else

Sometimes the princess seemed to be burdened by her status as a member of the royal family, and at this time her guards had to literally grab their heads, trying to ensure the safety of the Princess of Wales in extreme conditions. For example, in the spring of 1989, Lady Dee appeared at Gatwick Airport in line for an economy class check-in for a plane in jeans, a T-shirt and a blue blazer, sincerely believing that no one would recognize her in such an outfit. Even after long persuasion and persuasion, she did not abandon her idea of "being like everyone else" that day.

Naturally, in the queue, Diana was immediately recognized, surrounded, pelted with questions. The surrounding people took the opportunity to easily communicate with the princess, and she looked at her bodyguard with pleading eyes, silently convincing her to save her from the crowd of girls flying to Ibiza. Fortunately, Ken Wharf had prepared a “retreat option” in advance, and without agreement with Diana herself. True, he did not use it right away, but allowing the obstinate princess to feel on himself all the delights of communicating with lovely ladies. Perhaps he just wanted her to understand: she simply cannot be “like everyone else,” she will be recognized in any crowd. The guards carefully led Diana to the VIP area.

Lust for freedom

Diana could be different. On some days - polite and helpful, on others - obstinate and wayward. What depressed her the most was the lack of freedom. All her escapes and extreme antics are caused by only one thing - the desire to get rid of the unbearable burden of duties and constant control. One day she flew with her mother to Verona, where she listened to Pavarotti's performance. The singer who noticed the princess after the performance invited Diana to the dressing room, where he desperately flirted with her. She, being impressed by the beautiful music, suddenly decided to break off communication with Luciano Pavarotti and go to Venice. After just an hour, she swam along the Grand Canal, enjoying stunning night views, and suddenly said that if she were given such freedom at least once a month, then all her activities would not be in vain. But she never received the desired freedom.

Lonely walk

But once Diana persuaded the bodyguard to give her the opportunity to walk alone on the beach. And he, seeing how the princess was suffering, arranged such a walk for her. Ken Wharf took her to a remote English island, gave her a map and promised to meet her at the end of the route. And Diana, already hiding somewhere in the distance, suddenly called the bodyguard on the radio and, laughing, announced that she had stumbled upon a nudist beach. She returned exactly 40 minutes later and, it seems, never felt so happy as after the simplest lonely walk on the beach …

Lady Dee is considered to be a style icon and a woman who conquered millions of British people with her democratic behavior. In the early years, the press often called the princess "simpleton", "teacher" and "rebel".