A forthcoming Princess Diana documentary will feature five hours of previously guarded audio recordings made before her death, potentially offering new context for controversial claims recently raised by her brother, Earl Spencer.
Titled Diana Unheard, the project draws on private tapes recorded by Diana and passed to author Andrew Morton through her friend, Dr James Colthurst.
The recordings helped shape Morton’s 1992 biography, Diana: Her True Story. Diana’s role in the book remained secret until after her death in 1997.
Producers say the documentary addresses issues also examined by Earl Spencer in his recent book, Swan Song, which triggered a public dispute between him and Buckingham Palace.
Speaking to Deadline, the filmmakers revealed that Diana discusses her marriage, her sons and the royal succession. She also refers to the former Prince Andrew, who lost his titles last year because of his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Diana also reflects on her relationship with Queen Camilla, who was then known as Camilla Parker Bowles, including an account of an alleged confrontation involving the two women and the then Prince of Wales.
Kerene Barefield, creative director at Love Monday TV, the company behind Diana Unheard, has spoken publicly about the production for the first time. She said the goal was to “reframe the narrative” surrounding the late princess and allow her voice to be heard nearly 30 years after her death.
“The media always gave us this tragedy that Diana was sad and lonely and she was manipulated,” Barefield said.
The Prince and Princess of Wales during a trip to Toronto, Canada
“These tapes don’t tell that story at all. They tell a story of an incredibly brave woman who had agency and knew what she wanted and how she was going to get to it.”
The three-part series is expected to premiere next year, close to the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death. Its release could prove awkward for Buckingham Palace, which has recently faced a series of fierce allegations from Earl Spencer.
Palace sources have rejected his claims that the King appeared “giddily elated…like a lottery winner” following his former wife’s death, as well as his account of a tense telephone call in which the King allegedly said, “we’ll forget her soon enough.” They have suggested the recollections were influenced by grief.
Love Monday TV has previously worked with Buckingham Palace on several projects, including a documentary highlighting Queen Camilla’s campaign against domestic violence.
The production is reportedly due to receive a major industry launch next week, when details of its international broadcast arrangements are expected to be announced.
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Barefield said the idea for the documentary developed after Morton appeared on another Love Monday programme. She asked him what had happened to the original recordings.
Morton, publisher Michael O’Mara and Dr Colthurst agreed to make the tapes available for the series, and all three will feature in the three-part documentary. Diana’s former lover James Hewitt has also taken part in an interview.
Although selected sections of the recordings have been broadcast over the years, the complete collection has never previously been made available to a production.
Deadline reports that the three episodes will be titled Got To Get Out, You’re On Your Own and Time Is Precious.
Barefield said many people may not fully appreciate the extent to which Diana took control of the book’s creation, or understand why she wanted her story published. At the same time, she knew her involvement had to remain hidden when the book was released.
“One of the things I loved when I first heard the tapes was just hearing her laughter,” Barefield said. The middle episode revisits Diana’s childhood and includes details audiences may not expect, offering a glimpse of the determination and independence she displayed from an early age.
Earl Spencer’s recent book Swan Song’ sparked a war of words between himself and Buckingham Palace
‘And then the final episode brings it all back to the book again, and you start getting this countdown to when it is going to come out, and there is this time bomb that’s ready to explode.’
She adds: ‘This is what Diana would have done if she was still alive today. That’s how we framed it. It’s her documentary.’
But both the producers, Morton and Colthurst will undoubtedly face criticism for ‘cashing in’ on the late princess, particularly as her son, Prince William, has repeatedly asked for her memory to be left in peace.
He is known to be concerned that much of his mother’s collaboration with the media – including the by now infamous Panorama interview he believes should never be aired again – came at a particularly vulnerable time in her life.
It is likely that many critics will say Diana clearly never intended for the audio tapes to be made public and that she may well have felt differently now.
Indeed, there is much evidence to suggest that she and the then Prince Charles had a much better relationship at the time of her death and Diana wished him well.
It has also been confirmed that Prince Harry is exploring ways to mark the 30th anniversary of his mother’s death including a possible documentary.