Diana’s Stepmother Remarked The Princess And Her Siblings Made Her Life Hell, Quotes Royal Author

A lot has been said about Princess Diana’s relationship with her children but not so much about her growing up in a chaotic household. She was the fourth child of Frances Shandd Kydd and Earl Spencer, who divorced when she was just 7 years old. He went on to marry Raine Dartmouth, who didn’t find fans in her husband’s children.

In “Charles: The Man Who Will Be King,” author Howard Hodgson revealed how the late princess and her siblings had difficulty adjusting to life with their stepmother, who was a divorcee as well before meeting Princess Diana’s father, Express reported. The socialite allegedly organized the man’s estate and life, and he was fine with it.

In fact, Earl Spencer was apparently “relieved and somewhat grateful” because of the added help. However, Princess Diana and her siblings disapproved of it, and the author claimed they “hated Raine from day one.”

The kids were reportedly especially offended when Dartmouth started selling repainted gold picture frames and antiques from the Althorp estate, which was 500 years old. Darthmouth allegedly voiced out more than once how Princess Diana and her siblings made "my life hell on earth.”

“They resented her hold over their father, her iron will, her undoubted ability that put her beyond criticism and the fact that, now that it was at last their turn to be lords and ladies of their own palace, Raine had come into their life and they were little more than pawns in her grand scheme of things,” Hodgson wrote.

A family friend seconded the statement and explained that their capacity to hate was frightening. Hodgson further added that the children never made any effort to hide their aversion to their stepmother.

Other reports claimed that when Earl Spencer died, his children gathered Dartmouth’s things, put it in a trash bag, and threw it down the stairs. Princess Diana reportedly even called her stepmother a “bully,” and to her and her siblings, the socialite was known as “Acid Raine.”

This somewhat checks out with what Paul Burrell, former butler of Princess Diana, revealed last year. He said the late royal member “didn’t like this woman stepping into her mother’s shoes.” However, her perception of her stepmother allegedly changed when she herself became a divorcee.