Princess Diana Rumors About Title, Personality, Nickname Proven To Be False

Princess Diana was plagued with countless rumors when she was still alive and even after she passed away.

Reader’s Digest recently compiled some of the so-called “fake facts” about the Princess of Wales and debunked them. For instance, Princess Diana was nicknamed Shy Di after she was introduced to the world as Prince Charles’ girlfriend, but the truth is, the mom of two was never really shy.

Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary Dickie Arbiter told Vogue that Princess Diana kept her head down while talking not because she was shy or intimated by other people. Rather, she did so because she was simply taller than most people.

Princess Diana’s real nickname also wasn’t Di. It was only the press that started calling her as such. When she was still a young girl, Princess Diana’s family called her Duch as a shortcut for Duchess because they said that she behaved like one while growing up.

And even though Princess Diana was fondly referred to as the People’s Princess, she wasn’t the first one to have been given that title. Caroline of Brunswick, the Queen Consort of Prince George IV, was the first Princess of Wales.

The press also called Prince William and Prince Harry’s mom Princess Diana, but she wasn’t actually an official or real princess. This is because only a woman with royal blood may be called a princess. Since Princess Diana married Prince Charles, she should have been referred to as Princess Charles. The late princess’ official title was Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales.

Princess Diana also didn’t expect fidelity in her marriage. According to BBC, she knew that “Fred” was in love with “Gladys” – nicknames used by Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles – even before they tied the knot in 1981. So, the real tragedy wasn’t that there were three of them in her marriage, but rather that there were only two people who were really in love with each other.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles separated in 1992, and their divorce was finalized in 1996. Princess Diana passed away on Aug. 31, 1997.