She also took her sons to visit her father and mother-in-law in Althrop, where they were duly spoiled. According to Charles Spencer, Diana's brother, their father gave parties for William and Harry where he invited clowns and acrobats.
“They were impatiently awaiting these celebrations” recalled Charles Spencer interviewed by the Daily Express. “At tea time, we gave them little bags filled with chocolate coins so they could buy their presents. Then Santa Claus arrived bringing gifts on the back of a donkey. My father was delighted to make them happy. »
Although the holidays were a difficult time for Diana, she still looked forward to giving gifts. She admitted to a friend that she could never wait until Christmas Eve to open her presents. Most importantly, she wanted to make sure her beloved sons had a wonderful time: “William and Harry had the best Christmas ever, and I'm exhausted just trying to keep up with them,” she wrote to a friend in 1987. “Whatever happens, at least they sleep well.”
But once the children are warm in their beds, misfortune returns. According to the Daily Express, she frequently made desperate calls to her friends to complain about how bored she was. Tina Brown writes in The Diana Chronicles that this continued over the years: “I would receive calls from her on Christmas Eve, when she was alone,” recalls a friend quoted by Tina Brown. Whenever we spoke, it was all about strategy, about what she should do next. »
Christmas or inheritance?
On New Year's Eve 1989, she made the mistake of calling her lover James Gilbey, unaware that the press had tapped her phone (the “Squidgygate” recordings would be made public in 1992). She complains that her husband is making her life impossible and that the Queen Mother spent lunch giving her looks full of disgust. “I was very unwell at lunch and almost started crying,” she told Gilbey. I felt really sad and empty and I was like, “Damn, after everything I've done for this fucking family.” »
A peak was reached on Christmas Eve 1991. Unable to contain her anger, Diana decided to attack her family.
“One evening, during dinner,” says Andrew Morton, “Diana timidly broached the question of the future of the British monarchy in a federated Europe. The Queen, Prince Charles and the entire royal family, after staring at her as if she had gone crazy, resumed their discussion: it was a question of knowing who had shot the last pheasant that day, and this debate occupied the remainder of the time. of the evening. »
Diana and Charles officially separated in December 1992, and Diana decided to stay away from Sandringham even though she knew it meant she wouldn't see her beloved boys. “Diana understood that the boys had to be with their grandparents and their father on Christmas Day,” former butler Paul Burrell later told the Sunday People. She would have deprived them of their inheritance if she had said no. »
But this first Christmas away from his sons was painful. With her family in Althorp, Diana was inconsolable: “She went to bed early, morose and in tears,” a friend reportedly told the Sunday Mirror at the time. She fell asleep sobbing. »
It was surrounded by daffodils and abundant wildlife that Diana spent her adolescence, in the house of her ancestors. Althorp House hosted the best years of the princess adored by the English. This is also where she rests, in the shade of the trees that saw her grow up.
Arrow
In 1993 and 1994, Diana compromised by spending Christmas Eve at Sandringham. After church and the traditional royal walk, she rushed back to Kensington Palace and spent Christmas Day alone. But she soon felt like she was making everyone uncomfortable and stopped going to Sandringham altogether.
For her last Christmas, Diana was left alone, which worried her friends and employees. But according to her butler Paul Burrell, these lonely vacations, after firing all her employees so they could be with their families, became a cozy tradition for Diana, a chance to refocus and relax, eating turkey cold looking The Wizard of Oz.
“She stayed quiet, wrote, listened to ballet music and had a good time. I don't think she felt alone, he told the Sunday People. Then she wrote hundreds of thank you letters to everyone who gave her gifts. For her, it was very important. She figured that if people had gone to the trouble of sending her a gift, the least she could do was thank them. »
Friends treasure Diana's personalized Christmas wishes. She was also obsessed with gifts, although she had to limit herself to 50 pounds for her string of godchildren. She loved choosing the perfect gifts for her sons: “She spent hours looking for fun things,” Paul Burrell recalls, “one year Harry received fake dog poop. »
