Royal Correspondent One day, my prince did come

Royal home truths open old wounds

THERE is something both deeply compelling and uncomfortable about watching Princess Diana recount her most intimate thoughts.

Here is, arguably, the most talked-about woman in the world, revealing no-holds-barred what her life was really like behind closed doors.

But the tapes comprising the crux of this documentary, made as her marriage to Charles was breaking down, also make it clear just how vulnerable and unhappy Diana so often was.

Channel 4’s decision to retell her story so fully, delving into deep lows and combing over scandals more than 20 years on, will ruffle some feathers.

Clarence House officials, who have worked hard to encourage the public to accept Camilla as Charles’ wife, will not welcome the reminder of her as someone who caused Diana so much pain.

Charles does not come off well – from the cringey way Diana describes how he courted her to the trauma she felt after he uttered “whatever ‘in love’ means” when asked about his feelings for her during an engagement interview.

The tapes have been available online for many years and were broadcast by US network NBC in 2004. But they have not been shown here.

There are those who will say broadcasting these tapes now is insensitive. One reason Princes William and Harry worked with ITV’S recent documentary team was to establish some control over how their mother is remembered.

Others will say the tapes reflect who she really was – open and honest about her difficulties. But after a long period of royals enjoying record popularity, revisiting one the rockiest periods of their past does them no favours.

If time has been a healer then the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death is seeing the

re-opening of old wounds. A GRATEFUL accident victim’s dreams came true when Prince William saved her from a nasty fall.

Lynda Robinson, 55, spent 12 hours lying on the floor until she could crawl to the phone to call 999.

Wills was soon there after landing his East Anglian Air Ambulance near her home in Gislingham, Suffolk, on May 3.

She said: “It’s every girl’s dream to be rescued by a prince. I still can’t believe I had a future king on my very doorstep.”

SAVED Lynda, with her King Charles spaniel