Diana's Secret Tapes Recorded in March 1997

[Curryong]

It depends what is in them, doesn't it, Osipi? If these mysterious tapes contain just a rehash of stuff we have all heard before, a raking over the ashes of her marriage, then I doubt that people's opinion of Diana, whether favourable or unfavourable, would change at all.

If they contain advice to William and to his future wife about the pressures they will face as public figures, as has sometimes been suggested, then there might be a slight interest. However, as she was known as a devoted mother I don't think people's views on Diana would be changed at all, unless something inflammatory came out about Charles.

Personally I have great doubts about whether these 'secret' tapes exist at all.
What worries me about them, if they do exist, is that Diana apparently made them in 1997, at a time when she was at her most paranoid.

A former poster towards the beginning of this thread posted quotes from Diana's friends that she would write and phone them in the mid 1990's with comments like her being a star in the heavens looking down on them etc etc.

In other words if these tapes exist then they might go into her fears of being got rid of, assassinated while she was still young. If she was in that frame of mind then she might well have recorded allegations about Charles and/or members of his staff as a warning/guarantee that 'If anything happens to me, watch out! The scandals you've already gone through are nothing to this!'

Let me make my position clear. I do NOT believe that anyone in the royal family or people near to them were planning to kill Diana. That doesn't change the impression however that Diana appeared frightened and suspicious of people's motives at this time. Therefore she might, just might, have wanted to record what she knew, or thought she knew, about others.

If anyone knows about the actual physical recording of these tapes it would be Paul Burrell. I have become convinced since his curious rescue by the Queen before his trial that this person (grub though he is) knows more about the doings of individual members of the Royal family than he has ever let out in the public arena, in spite of his disgraceful books. If Burrell knows nothing of them, then IMO these secret tapes only exist in unnamed sources' fevered imaginations.

[Osipi]

I have to agree that the existence of these "secret tapes" is purely speculative at this time as no real proof of their existence and/or contents have ever been proven to be facts. Even if they were to come to light now in 2016 almost 20 years after Diana's death, other than fans and people interested in Diana's years as Princess of Wales, these tapes probably wouldn't really cause that much of a big splash publicly.

I also believe that the concept of Diana being paranoid can be pretty much taken as a possibility. The one concrete example that comes to mind for me was a statement in Simone Simmons' book "Diana, The Last Word", the author stated that it was Diana's wish that should something happen to her, that Simmons would write a book about it. Of course this could be taken as heresay from Simmons as Diana isn't around to dispute it but I think there is truth to Simmons statement.

[Denville]

I wouldnt' take Simmons very much to heart, but I agree that Diana was very paranoid then and she might have recorded stuff to make a record or inform her friends or the public of what she feared might happen..And If they exist, I hope they DONT ever come out because I feel they will just now make Diana look crazy. And yes she may have recorded a few scandalous things abut the RF, at the time, because she knew of them. It doesn't mean the RF are terrible, but they may well have a few stories they would rather didn't get out..
But in Di's state of mind, then I think that she would have made mountains out of molehills and would look a bit crazy to us now. And of course conspiracy theorists and Diana worshippers who think everyting she said is true and that she was an angel, would problaby believe them

[Osipi]

Originally Posted by Denville

But in Di's state of mind, then I think that she would have made mountains out of molehills and would look a bit crazy to us now. And of course conspiracy theorists and Diana worshippers who think everyting she said is true and that she was an angel, would problaby believe them

That's it in a nutshell I think. Diana's state of mind dealing with an irreconcilable marriage heading for a divorce wouldn't be a pretty picture and, speaking from my own experience, it is a very stressful, nerve wracking and emotional existence that takes its toll on body, mind and spirit.

[Denville]

I haven't ever been divorced, but like most of us, Im sure there have been problems at times.. I think that Diana was a rather fragile personality and her very difficult divorce, made so mostly by the fact that as a royal she was not supposed to divorce, was probalby very hard on her. It woudl not have been easy for Chas either, witht his situation of "what would he do now if the public didn't wnat him as King", but he had Camilla. He was still POW and while he must have felt a sense of failure, he was problaby releived to be free of Diana by then. But Diana was stepping out into a very strange world, on her own, and with little experience of normal life.
Much of her adult life had been spent as a princess. I think she coudl trust people A LOT less than Charles could.
He had a large circle of loyal friends, she had a few, but a lot of the people in her life were new joiners to her circle and I dont think she could rely on them the way that Charles could rely on HIS set.
Even her lover Hewitt had been disloyal to her.
So i think she was a bit crazy then and said wild things and It would not make her look very good if we heard these tapes or memoes now.

[Osipi]

I think we're veering away from the topic of the secret tapes again.

[Denville]

sorry i was just trying to say why I'd rathter not hear the tapes. I DO think that they might exist, becauase she did like to record things... ( I do this myself Im afraid, I write down stuff sometimes just to mull it over)... But I think that they would be things that were way off beam and would make her seem like she was really really a mental case..

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Curryong

ItA be Paul Burrell. I have become convinced since his curious rescue by the Queen before his trial that this person (grub though he is) knows more about the doings of individual members of the Royal family than he has ever let out in the public arena, in spite of his disgraceful books. If Burrell knows nothing of them, then IMO these secret tapes only exist in unnamed sources' fevered imaginations.

I think the queen rescued him because she was just Not liking the way the trial was going. I don't tink there are any MAJOR scandals hidden in royal households but of course there are bound to be things that one doesn't want to get out, if possible. And I think the queen may have felt that with Burrell talking away, he would say things that people would believe even if they weren't true, so it was better to bring the whole messy stupid situation to a halt. but I DO think that tehre might be tapes that Diana made. I think she had become a bit additcted to taping or writing down things...like happened with Settelen..

[believer]

Here is a full text of Diana's words to her future daughter in law, recorded not long before her death, published by Global in 2013. Very likely to be part of the secret tapes mentioned by the 2003 article. because the 2003 article claimed that the last tape was 40 minute recording of Diana's hopes for her children. And the 2003 article also mentioned that the camera man was told the tapes had been moved to USA.

Hello, it's William's mum here!

Welcome to the family business. I rather suspect that got your attention. Anyway brace yourself for a one-way chat. Obviously we have not met though I want you to know I certainly wish we had. I know I'd adore you and we'd be fast friends. You have to be someone truly special, if you weren't you wouldn't be my William's wife.

Marriage is never easy and being the future Queen only makes it harder. For your marriage to survive the public's glare and the private pressures of royal life it will take patience, compromise, understanding, trust, loyalty and of course love. You must both work at it on a daily basis. I'm sure you're aware of my failings and those of William's father. Learn from these mistakes and build a relationship that endures, you deserve it and so do your children.

My fondest dream is for you and William to have a life filled with love and joy; that your children are happy, healthy and free of the dark shadow divorce casts on those it touches. Family is the most important thing in life. Cherish your children for me. They carry my heart. Let them know I love them and will always watch over them!"

[Queen Claude]

Diana actually said those things because it sounds like she knows that she will not be present when William marries.

[Osipi]

I've read in several places such as biographies and articles that Diana did have a strong premonition that her death would be an early one resulting from something happening in a car. It doesn't surprise me one bit that she would record something like this for her sons in case of her premonitions becoming a reality.

[nascarlucy]

It almost like she knew that she wasn't going to be there. Kind of creepy.

[Osipi]

I really don't find it creepy as I know of a lot of people that have had premonitions about their own death. In taking EMT classes, one thing our instructor told us is that if someone tells you they're going to die, pay attention to that as they might actually know that they're going to die and then do it.

What we can't prove or disprove is the fact that Diana had the premonition. Only she could answer that question for us. There has to be some solace for her boys knowing that she left them such loving and warm sentiments for their future.

[Curryong]

This is an ancient article, which, if only a quarter true, is pretty disturbing and points to where these premonitions of an early death might have come from.

Psychic told Diana she was going to die - Mirror Online

I have studied astrology for years and practised it as an amateur for family, friends, and work colleagues. However, if Sarah did lead an unhappy Diana into this maze of New Age psychics, healers, astrologers etc it is truly sad, as she seems to have been sucked in by it all.

[Osipi]

Originally Posted by Curryong

I have studied astrology for years and practised it as an amateur for family, friends, and work colleagues. However, if Sarah did lead an unhappy Diana into this maze of New Age psychics, healers, astrologers etc it is truly sad, as she seems to have been sucked in by it all.

I, too, have spent many hours delving into the metaphysical with astrology, tarot, scrying, numerology and a few others and among those worth their salt in what they do, they know that whatever it is that they "see" in cards or charts or whatever is only a probability and not something written in stone. These arts are there to guide not scare the pants off people and telling them death is looming just around the corner is a trademark of a charlatan. It might be worthwhile to also point out that sometimes "death" in a reading does not mean actual physical death but could be death of a way of thinking or a death of a relationship or a death of a habit. You get the idea.

Diana, at that time, was very vulnerable and impressionable and it would have been too easy to have her take anything to heart that someone else presented to her as "a message from beyond". A true friend and advisor would have known this.

What I find uncanny is that at this stage of Diana and Charles' relationship, should they have been able to communicate and share their feelings about the mystical, the spiritual and such, it would have been something they had in common and in that respect, I think Charles could have guided her to having a bit more faith in seeking her own "inner self" as that has been something that Charles has done for decades.

I do not discount however that Diana could have had her own premonitions about certain things. Whether they were the result of the "seers" she consulted or came from within herself, we'll never know.

[Mermaid1962]

The "secret tapes" story comes from The Globe, a tabloid US publication. I wouldn't take anything in it seriously.

[Denville]

so basically nonsense?

[Lady Nimue]

Originally Posted by Osipi

What I find uncanny is that at this stage of Diana and Charles' relationship, should they have been able to communicate and share their feelings about the mystical, the spiritual and such, it would have been something they had in common and in that respect, I think Charles could have guided her to having a bit more faith in seeking her own "inner self" as that has been something that Charles has done for decades.

It is ironic. Real comfort, if not answers, was potentially always very close at hand (had she been able to see the 'whole' of her husband) but I fear she was just too 'caught up' in the narrative she was emotionally spinning. Too 'young' (immature emotionally). I am very close to being her age when she died and I am continually astonished by her (both) savvy and cluelessness in one go. I don't recognize any 36 year old in the way she approached her personal life.

Originally Posted by Osipi

I do not discount however that Diana could have had her own premonitions about certain things. Whether they were the result of the "seers" she consulted or came from within herself, we'll never know.

Exactly so.

[Mermaid1962]

I'd say so, yes. I think it's the Globe that runs those "Diana's Secret Daughter" stories as well as the "Alcoholic Camilla" ones.

Originally Posted by Denville

so basically nonsense?

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

I'd say so, yes. I think it's the Globe that runs those "Diana's Secret Daughter" stories as well as the "Alcoholic Camilla" ones.

I thought so. some of the stuff I saw on YouTube a little while ago would make your hair stand on end. I didn't really believe in the tapes, but I thougth it was just about possible that she recorded some of her own thougths, like she is said to have written "memos" to herself, to mull over her thoughts.