Princess Diana, one of the most photographed and written-about figures in the world, was always keenly aware of the tabloid attention she received. Despite strict royal protocols that prevented her from reading certain press coverage, Diana found a way to bypass those rules and stay in the loop about what was being said about her. According to Richard Dalton, her former hairdresser, the Princess of Wales had a secret habit of “smuggling” tabloids into the palace to satisfy her curiosity about the media’s portrayal of her life.
In a candid interview with People magazine, Dalton recalled how, despite being prohibited from reading tabloids, Diana would regularly ask him to bring them to her. “She wasn’t allowed to see the tabloid newspapers,” Dalton explained. “One of the hairdressers smuggled them in… Did I say that? They were smuggled in, but it’s not to do with me.” He went on to recount that Diana would ask, “Richard, can you bring them in for me?” and, once through security, he would quietly pass the newspapers to her.
Princess Diana’s penchant for tabloid gossip wasn’t just about curiosity—it was a reflection of her often tumultuous relationship with the press. Despite many articles being unflattering or sensational, Diana seemed unable to resist. Dalton noted, “She’d be doing her hair, flipping through the pages, and she’d go, ‘Ugh’… then throw it to the side.” But that didn’t stop her from flipping through the next issue, hoping for something better.
Perhaps the most persistent topic of tabloid rumors that frustrated Diana was the speculation surrounding Prince Harry’s parentage. “They always [went] on about, ‘Is Charles the father of Harry?'” Dalton recalled. “Of course he is.” Dalton pointed to Harry’s red hair as proof of his biological connection to Charles, noting the numerous members of the Spencer family with similar coloring.
Despite the frustrations of reading negative stories about her, Princess Diana’s desire to know what was being said about her, and about her family, was undeniable. She was a princess constantly under the media’s microscope, and this secret habit of smuggling in tabloids revealed how much of an impact the press had on her—even though she was often portrayed as the victim of intrusive media.
In the end, Diana’s relationship with the press was complicated: she was often annoyed by the media’s portrayal of her, yet could not resist the temptation to see what they were writing. This tension between a public figure and the tabloids highlights the intense pressure Diana faced during her life in the spotlight.
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