06/03/1995 • 4 views
Princess Diana Breaks Silence on Eating Disorder in 1995 Interview
On June 3, 1995, Diana, Princess of Wales, publicly disclosed her struggle with bulimia in a high-profile television interview, marking one of the first times a senior royal spoke openly about an eating disorder and mental-health issues.
Context
During the early-to-mid 1990s, the British royal family faced a series of public crises: reports of marital difficulties between Diana and Charles, increasing tabloid attention, and growing debates over the monarchy’s role in contemporary society. Against that background, Diana’s decision to speak about her mental health and eating disorder represented a departure from traditional royal reticence on intimate personal matters. The interview contributed to changing public conversations about eating disorders, which were often stigmatized and poorly understood in the broader public sphere.
Nature of the disclosure
Diana identified her condition as bulimia nervosa and described behaviors and coping mechanisms associated with the disorder. Her statements emphasized that the condition was linked to emotional distress and to the pressures she experienced in her marriage and public life. Public reactions noted the significance of a high-profile figure acknowledging an eating disorder, helping to raise awareness and prompting discussions about mental health care and support.
Impact and reception
The interview received extensive media coverage in the United Kingdom and internationally. Mental-health advocates and some clinicians said the disclosure helped destigmatize eating disorders and encouraged others to seek help. At the same time, the revelation intensified public and media scrutiny of Diana’s personal life, feeding both sympathetic commentary and further invasive reporting.
Historical significance
Diana’s public acknowledgment of bulimia is often cited in histories of mental-health awareness and of the royal family’s evolving relationship with the media. While she was not the first public figure to discuss eating disorders, her position as Princess of Wales and international profile amplified the disclosure’s resonance. The episode is part of a broader pattern in which Diana used her public platform to address issues—mental health, HIV/AIDS, landmines—that were previously treated as taboo or misunderstood.
Limitations and sources
This summary avoids attribution of verbatim quotes and relies on widely reported contemporaneous accounts of Diana’s 1995 interview and subsequent coverage. Specific phrasing and private medical details are matters of personal record; public reporting focused on Diana’s own descriptions and the broader public reaction. Historians and journalists continue to discuss the interview within larger narratives about Diana’s life and the monarchy’s modernisation.
Aftermath
Diana continued to be a prominent, sometimes controversial, public figure until her death in 1997. Her openness about personal struggles—including her eating disorder—remains a frequently referenced element of her legacy, credited by many with advancing public conversation about mental-health issues at a time when such openness was less common among high-profile public figures.