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Princess Diana’s relationship with her mother was famously complicated.
According to Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, their parents' separation in 1969 was the beginning of Diana and Frances Shand Kydd’s fractious relationship.
Spencer said their father, John Spencer, the 8th Earl of Spencer, was "a quiet and constant source of love" but their mother "wasn't cut out for maternity".
"Not her fault, she couldn't do it. She was in love with someone else, infatuated really," he told The Sunday Times.
Princess Diana with her mother at the 1993 Men's Singles Wimbledon Tennis Final. Image: Getty.
And when Frances moved out of the family home for wallpaper heir, Peter Shand Kydd, she promised Diana, then aged five, she would come back to see her.
"Diana used to wait on the doorstep for her, but she never came," Charles, 56, recalled.
In the years following Diana’s split from Prince Charles, Diana and Frances' relationship further deteriorated, with Diana's associations with different men reportedly displeasing her mother.
After her marriage to Charles ended, Diana was seen with a number of men including heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, businessman Gulu Lalvani, and Dodi Fayed, the son of Egyptian billionaire Mohamad El Fayed.
But there was one relationship in particular that led Frances to give Diana a piece of her mind.
Speaking to The Mirror, Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell described the moment a tearful Diana received an abusive phone call from her mother.
Diana with her son Prince Harry and her mother Frances Shand Kydd at St Mary's Church for a family wedding rehearsal in 1989. Image: Getty
Top Comments
And how many times was her mother married?
Jesus. This is from a Mirror article from August last year, quoting an interview given by Paul Burrell “several years ago”. *Another* old news story, dredged up for no apparent reason. At least the Mirror tried to tie it in to a story about Meghan’s difficult relationship with her family.
No no Rush, didn't you hear? In her dying moments, Diana telepathically linked to Paul and said "Paul. I'm dying. You must promise me, no matter what happens, no matter what people say, YOU MUST spend the rest of your life highlighting the worst aspects of my life, preferably for a profit. And you must only work with the least reputable of news services. PROMISE ME PAUL!!!"