Why Princess Diana Was Furious About ‘Loose Cannon’ Label After Prince Charles Divorce

After Princess Diana and Prince Charles divorced, she continued her humanitarian efforts and focused on the issues affecting the people of Angola. However, the motives behind her charitable work were misconstrued in the media and left the Princess of Wales feeling defeated.

In January 1997, Diana visited Angola to support the campaign against landmines. The goal was to encourage a worldwide ban on the explosives and show the world its victims.

During the BBC Radio 5 Live’s podcast series, “Images of Diana,” Natasha Kaplinsky spoke with journalist Christina Lamb about how Princess Diana’s trip almost damaged her reputation. “[Diana’s] trip to Angola was the main story every day in the bulletin, you know, it was big. The pictures were everywhere, and that raised the profile on the issue,” Lamb said.

“At the end of the year, the Landmine Ban [Ottawa] Treaty was signed – would it have been if it had not have been for Diana’s visit, I don’t know, but definitely she focused attention on it.”

Kaplinsky revealed Diana’s trip later hurt her image when she earned a controversial label from the media. “[But] the trip didn’t all go according to plan. Back in London, the junior defense minister, Earl Howe called her a ‘loose cannon.’”

In response to the unwanted nickname, Diana revealed her only goal was to help the people of Angola. “I’m only trying to highlight a problem that’s going on all around the world. That’s all,” she told a reporter at the time.

Reflecting on the moment, Kaplinsky noted that Princess Diana was furious over her new nickname. “Christina, Diana was upset wasn’t she, by that criticism? She thought she was out there trying to focus attention on this issue, and people were using it for politics, and you know, she didn’t have any kind of ulterior motive in being there,” she said.

Although Lamb understood the doubt about Diana’s attention to the landmine issue, she insisted that the royal succeeded in her mission. “You could argue that you that she was trying to change her image, but she definitely made people focus on it, who might not have otherwise thought about it at all.”

Lamb added that Diana “ just wanted to go and see the people who were affected.” Although Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997, her sons Prince William and Prince Harry continue to bring attention to the landmine issues in Angola.