Princess Diana’s marriage to the then-Prince Charles was far from happy. The people’s princess made it clear that the couple faced difficulties from the start, and much of what the world saw was a carefully maintained façade.
The reality was completely different behind the doors of Buckingham Palace. But did you know there was one family member, and the first one to warn Diana before her engagement, not to enter into a marriage with Charles? Yes, you heard it right.
Lady Diana Spencer’s maternal grandmother, Ruth Roche a.k.a. Baroness Fermoy, thought that her granddaughter Diana’s decision to marry into the royal family was a wrong choice. Ruth was already closely linked to the royals, both as a friend of the Queen Mother and as the woman of the bedchamber.
With Diana’s selection as the future Queen by marriage to Charles, people quickly speculated on her role and readiness. In response, Ruth told Associated Press in 1993, “You can say that if you like, but it simply wouldn’t be true.”
Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview was an “institutional coverup” by the BBC. Reporter Martin Bashir used forged documents and deceit to convince Diana to give a bombshell interview, which precipitated her divorce from the King and then rehired Bashir.
— Stephen Cole (@cole_stephen) November 13, 2025
Historian Kate Williams concluded Ruth was the only one to see that the marriage was a mistake. She disapproved of Diana and Charles’ union. Speaking on Daily Mail’s podcast Queens, Kings And Dastardly Things, Williams stated that Diana wanted to back out, but could not, since her news was already spread out.
Kate Williams said, ‘Diana told her sisters that the marriage shouldn’t go ahead, and they said, “Bad luck, Dutch, your face is on the tea towels. You can’t go back.”‘ The then-19-year-old Diana felt like a ‘lamb to the slaughter,’ which she later revealed in many interviews. Her grandmother, Ruth Roche, also felt that the humor and lifestyle of the royal family would not suit Diana.
Recalling Ruth’s words to Diana, Kate said, “One of the dissenting voices was actually her grandmother, Lady Fermoy. She said to Diana, ‘I don’t think their sense of humor or lifestyle is going to suit you.'” In spite of the clear forebodings, none of them could help prevent Diana and Charles’ marriage since everybody was already swept up with the idea of a royal engagement. The public was already well aware of Diana and her lineage, and her pictures were already across all leading bulletins. It felt like she was already a part of the royal family even before she got married.
Well, Diana and Charles’s rough marriage did end tragically, and they divorced in August 1996. Those were turbulent times, Diana did not find solace during heartbreak. Author Edward White, in his recently released book Dianaworld: An Obsession, made a rare mention of Princess Diana’s spiritual awakening, which helped her deal with it.
Diana, Princess of Wales was/is the only Queen of hearts! You know, Diana, the lady who actually worked for the people & continued to do so, even after her divorce
— Tracey (@Ourtraceyboo) November 12, 2025
Diana struggled with her mental health and self-esteem, which is when she sought help from spiritual healer Stephen Twigg. Between 1988 and 1995, the former royal met the therapist a couple of times and undertook sessions with him. Twigg had noted that Diana’s troubles were far beyond physical aches, since she had approached him with complaints of sore muscles, which were wearing her down. The holistic practitioner, through different kinds of treatments for Diana, was able to deduce that her issues were tied to emotional distress going on in her life.
Interestingly, with the success of Stephen Twigg in her life, Diana increasingly turned to spiritual healing. She explored new age philosophies, including faith healers, astrologers, tarot readers, and more. As noted author Christopher Anderson, Diana tried everything from crystals to aromatherapy to better her physical and mental health.
