Unheard Princess Diana audio tapes to air as part of new documentary series
The series will "challenge the reductive narrative that has too often framed Diana as a victim of her circumstances".
Never-before-heard tapes of Princess Diana discussing the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles will be heard for the first time in a new docuseries.
Diana: The Unheard Truth, which is set to be released in August 2027 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of her death, will feature private taped conversations Diana had with her friend James Colthurst in 1991, which formed the basis of Andrew Morton’s book Diana: Her True Story.
The tapes, which will be spread across three episodes for the series, feature intimate revelations, including Diana’s thoughts on her struggles with bulimia and her then-husband King Charles’s relationship with Queen Camilla.
They also include the late Princess’s thoughts on her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
In the three decades since Diana’s death, less than one hour of the material has been heard publicly.
The docuseries is coming to our screens courtesy of Love Monday TV, which has secured full access to the archive tapes in partnership with Morton and Colthurst, who also feature in the series.
Details on where it will be broadcast or stream are yet to be announced.
Love Monday TV said the series will "challenge the reductive narrative that has too often framed Diana as a victim of her circumstances".
Instead, it will show "a resilient, perceptive, and relatable young woman, finding herself in the brightest of global spotlights, and navigating the challenges with grace, self-awareness, and determination".
We'll also hear "her infectious humour and twinkling laughter, as she reveals the truth about life inside the most famous family in the world", as well as "her dreams for a future that could have been; a new chapter in which Charles goes off into the sunset with Camilla, leaving Diana free to carve her own path".
As well as the tapes, the docuseries will also feature perspectives from those closest to Diana including Delissa Needham, a prep schoolmate, hairdresser Sam McKnight and astrologer Penny Thornton.
Other perspectives set to appear in the series include dancer Wayne Sleep, former bodyguard Ken Wharfe, royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter, photographer Kent Gavin and Daily Mail journalist Richard Kay.
It follows a recent episode of Reporting History on ITV which shared previously unbroadcast footage of Princess Diana's famed visit to Angola in January 1997.
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
