Princess Diana 'Almost Outed George Michael to Harry', Former Royal Aide Claims

[cinrit]

Princess Diana almost outed George Michael to a young Prince Harry, years before the singer's sexuality came to light, a former royal aide has claimed.

In his new autobiography, Dickie Arbiter describes a comic moment where Diana, speaking about the singer, told a guest during a 1992 reception "Isn't it a shame he doesn't like the ladies?", unaware that her son was close by.

George was a guest at the Kensington Palace drinks reception for Diana's charities, and when the eight-year-old Prince asked who they were talking about the Princess replied "Shut up, Harry".

More: Princess Diana 'almost outed George Michael to young Harry', former royal aide claims - Mirror Online

Cindy

[tiaras]

Princess replied "Shut up, Harry".

He said: "I had had a chance to get to know her, and in doing so began to understand the kind of person she was.

"In a word, she was complicated. If things were going her way, she was fine. If anything out of the ordinary occurred - anything that conflicted with what she wanted to do, and in her way - then you were frozen out and left to stew until she decided to invite you back into the fold.

"The freeze could last days or even weeks, and no-one was immune. I was subjected to one or two myself."

Are royal mums that rude to their own children?
I am neutral about Diana , I was never a fan or a hater ,but from accounts of people who knew her she seemed slightly crazy and dysfunctional ,no wonder william likes the quiet calmness that comes with kate . No wonder the BRF likes Kate ,theyd rather have workshy than over dramatic anyday .

[sandy]

Quiet calmness with Kate? Kate is not this perfect being, she avoids work and appears to be a prima donna.

Diana worked.

Wow. It must be a new hobby to put out  in the media nasty things about a dead woman who can't defend herself.

[TLLK]

I agree that Kate appears to have a calmer demeanor than Diana and it could be something that William found attractive when they were getting acquainted.

I also agree with Arbiter that Diana was certainly aware of William's future role and to have him practice in front of a small audience was wise.
  With the release of Arbiter's book I'm not surprised that there is discussion about the prominent royals from that era. Diana is not the first person to have their life history examined and she won't be the last. The press will comment upon what is likely to sell papers.

[HistoryGirl]

^I agree that Kate is definitely calmer. She seems to just go along with whatever William wants and that was probably attractive compared to the disheveled mess of a childhood he had (because of *both* parents and the media before anybody freaks out).

[sandy]

Of course she does what William wants . William did not want to keep a mistress as his "friend." Diana had every right to complain. Kate does not have the same problem. Obviously.

William I think is just avoiding full time royal work with his precious gap years and all that. His parents thought the sun rose and set on him. I would not call his childhood miserable. And he never groused about his upbringing like his dad did.

I wonder what Kate would think if William told her he has a right to keep a mistress or got little trinkets on his honeymoon.

Of course Diana was calm on her appearances.

I agree that Kate appears to have a calmer demeanor than Diana and it could be something that William found attractive when they were getting acquainted.

I also agree with Arbiter that Diana was certainly aware of William's future role and to have him practice in front of a small audience was wise.
  With the release of Arbiter's book I'm not surprised that there is discussion about the prominent royals from that era. Diana is not the first person to have their life history examined and she won't be the last. The press will comment upon what is likely to sell papers.

The public took to Diana more than Kate from what I have seen. For one thing Kate does not do nearly as much royal work as Diana did. 

I don't think a man necessarily thinks about what his mother was like when he is attracted to a young woman.  Kate may be  high strung behind the scenes for all we know. Judgments can't be made about her personality about how she wears an outfit on an appearance or cheers for a team in her endless watching of sports.

[TLLK]

^I agree that Kate is definitely calmer. She seems to just go along with whatever William wants and that was probably attractive compared to the disheveled mess of a childhood he had (because of *both* parents and the media before anybody freaks out).

I believe that their personalities are more similar as well and they had much more in common than Charles and Diana. Attended the same university, had some of the same professors, they both enjoy sports/competition and cutthroat Scrabble.  :catfight:

Also it's well-known that he enjoys the relaxed family atmosphere at the Middleton's home which must have been a real contrast to his life with his parents especially before the divorce.

[sandy]

William was at school much of the time. His parents were more or less leading separate lives.

William loved his parents and they were devoted to him. He is not exactly the first person (even in the public eye) who had parents whose marriage broke up.

William never complained publicly about his childhood. He never groused about his upbringing like his dad did. And Charles parents were not divorced but he still went poor me. But even though Charles complained he did not act all precious and cut back on royal work like his son is doing. I don't think Charles and Diana can be blamed for William's avoiding full time royal duties.

[HistoryGirl]

^Yeah TLLK I agree. From a personal standpoint they seem to enjoy each other and are very comfortable together which is nice. But anyways back on topic lol

Diana seems to have definitely been kinda demanding emotionally because she probably didn't get the type of love and affection she craved during her own childhood. This desire to love then manifested into her being so attached to her kids which is wonderful from one standpoint. But I gotta say, her reliance on William as an emotional crutch made me uncomfortable.

From personal experience, dealing with all those complex emotions at such a young age is exhausting and kind of an odd feeling. You almost feel like you have such a responsibility to take care of someone that should be taking care of you. Of course, you adore them and always wanna be there but like I said, it can get exhausting. It also sometimes makes you wary later on in life and yes, you do tend to seek calm as you grow older to get away from that type of environment.

[TLLK]

 :hug:Based on your reply it sounds like you've dealt with some of this yourself HG.

William did undergo a transformation from an outgoing toddler/pre-schooler to a more introverted older child/teen during those years. I do believe that he's chosen to have a small, close-knit group of trusted companions due to what he experienced in his formative years. Unfortunately that included both parents publicly "over sharing" IMO.

[sandy]

And from this article some are now saying it definitively defines Diana's parenting. Give me a break.

And psychobabble does not erase the fact that the people who knew her as their mother praise her publicly.

And Charles followers always play the she was too confiding in Will card. Nobody knows except them and Diana treated William like a parent would, even having him earn money washing cars.

What about Daddy's using his sons to get Camilla accepted? It must have been weird for the children to be introduced to Camilla less than a year after their mother died and William being used in the PR campaign.
Again Diana is slammed.

Diana loved her children and vice versa. Why not stop the  amateur analysis and let her children decide. William was not used as a "crutch" that is just so not true. And this charge not so coincidentally comes from the usual suspects like Penny Junor. Her friends said Diana was a fantastic mother and indeed her sons agree with that. Charles has groused about his upbringing NOT William.

What is ignored is that Arbiter noted Diana wanted William to be aware of his future Kingship and learn public speaking. William woefully lacks in good public speaking skills. I think Diana would have seen to it had she lived that he got public speaking lessons and improved his speech.
I think with both parents around it would not have been so easy for William to go and play being normal and take gap years.

[HistoryGirl]

:hug: thanks TLLK. Yeah I did have to deal with some of that, but I can't even imagine having the people involved in my situation airing it all out for millions to see and discuss. Horrifying from the children's perspective.

[Canuck]

I believe that their personalities are more similar as well and they had much more in common than Charles and Diana. Attended the same university, had some of the same professors, they both enjoy sports/competition and cutthroat Scrabble.  :catfight:

Also it's well-known that he enjoys the relaxed family atmosphere at the Middleton's home which must have been a real contrast to his life with his parents especially before the divorce.

I think those are the key points.  Will and Kate seem to enjoy a lot of the same interests (especially regarding sports and outdoor activities) and to have temperaments that compliment one another -- they can both be competitive and like to tease one another, both seem very supportive of the other, and at their current ages also seem to enjoy being a bit lower key and relaxing at home rather than going out a lot.  Charles and Diana didn't have the same complimentary interests or personalities, or the type of easy rapport that is evident with W&K.  He liked outdoor pursuits and reading, she liked to be in the city and going out a lot.  He got moody and needed to be kind of jolied along and paid a lot of attention to, while she also had moods and needed to be the center of attention.

Similarly, I think you're right TLLK that Will enjoys the "normal" family atmosphere of the Middletons -- no drama, just a happy marriage and siblings that get along and are close to their parents.  Will clearly loves his father and loved his mother, but his childhood would have been very difficult, both being present for the fights and drama and also seeing the amount of public attention the whole saga got.

[sandy]

Charles courted a teenage girl so he could get heirs.  I don't  think he married her for any other reason: her blue bloodedness, fertility and suitability. I do notice though that Kate does not go hunting after she got the ring (something that Diana is still crucified for even though she did not like hunting and it was well known during the courtship particularly by Charles). The picking up dead bird photos are no longer published.

The main thing they did not have in common was Charles "friendship" with Mrs Parker Bowles. That was the deal breaker.

I do have to wonder why Charles who came from a non-broken home  wrote and spoke about how "bad" his childhood was. William whose parents divorced has not uttered one word against his parents. Not one. Others apparently project things but William never whined like his father did.

:hug: thanks TLLK. Yeah I did have to deal with some of that, but I can't even imagine having the people involved in my situation airing it all out for millions to see and discuss. Horrifying from the children's perspective.

Why not blame the people who write tell all books? They put this trash out there.

[Canuck]

I don't think the fact that Will hasn't publicly criticized his parents means that his childhood was problem-free.  Will is famously private about his private life -- very likely because of how much of his parents' marriage was in the public eye.  I think that's a very wise decision on his part.

But we know, from a huge variety of sources (and just from common sense!) that Will's childhood was in fact pretty difficult.  SAYING SO DOESN'T MEAN I'M BLAMING ANYONE FOR THAT.  But Will was just a kid when all of these revelations were coming out about both his parents having affairs and being taped in private phone calls with other people and having tell-all books written blaming one another and all the rest of it.  That would obviously not be a good situation for a child.  His parents fighting with one another all the time (as both said they did) would not be a good situation for a child.  Obviously losing his mother as a teenager was devastating and would also have contributed to a feeling of upheaval and wanting stability and family.

Saying Will likes the Middletons because they're a stable, happy family is not a knock on Diana or Charles.  Anyone who as a child watches their parents go through a contentious divorce (and it certainly was contentious!) would likely feel that way.

As for Will and Kate, I do think they share a love of the outdoors.  They play tennis together and they did a lot of hiking in Anglesey, and both have done a lot of outdoor activities (polo and hunting for Will, running and field hockey for Kate).  I think the difference between Kate and Diana in that respect is that even when Kate doesn't join in BRF outdoor activities like hunting, she seems happy to watch Will do so -- not resentful or bored, the way Diana described herself as being.  Couples don't have to do every single activity together, as long as they support one another's interests or at least aren't upset by having different interests.

[sandy]

It is pretty safe to say William loves his parents. And no parent is "perfect." George probably won't see Mom and Dad perfect when he becomes a teenager or maybe before.

William was not home all the time with his parents. Mom and Dad did royal tours and the like and William went to school.

No family is "stable." There are no perfect families. Not even the Middletons. Every family has its own issues to work through.

Diana went to Charles polo matches for years even when heavily pregnant. She obviously was not all avoidance of Charles activities. Both enjoyed going on ski trips each year as well. For instance

[HistoryGirl]

I don't think the fact that Will hasn't publicly criticized his parents means that his childhood was problem-free.  Will is famously private about his private life -- very likely because of how much of his parents' marriage was in the public eye.  I think that's a very wise decision on his part.

But we know, from a huge variety of sources (and just from common sense!) that Will's childhood was in fact pretty difficult.  SAYING SO DOESN'T MEAN I'M BLAMING ANYONE FOR THAT.  But Will was just a kid when all of these revelations were coming out about both his parents having affairs and being taped in private phone calls with other people and having tell-all books written blaming one another and all the rest of it.  That would obviously not be a good situation for a child.  His parents fighting with one another all the time (as both said they did) would not be a good situation for a child.  Obviously losing his mother as a teenager was devastating and would also have contributed to a feeling of upheaval and wanting stability and family.

Saying Will likes the Middletons because they're a stable, happy family is not a knock on Diana or Charles.  Anyone who as a child watches their parents go through a contentious divorce (and it certainly was contentious!) would likely feel that way.

As for Will and Kate, I do think they share a love of the outdoors.  They play tennis together and they did a lot of hiking in Anglesey, and both have done a lot of outdoor activities (polo and hunting for Will, running and field hockey for Kate).  I think the difference between Kate and Diana in that respect is that even when Kate doesn't join in BRF outdoor activities like hunting, she seems happy to watch Will do so -- not resentful or bored, the way Diana described herself as being.  Couples don't have to do every single activity together, as long as they support one another's interests or at least aren't upset by having different interests.

I agree. It'd be a nightmare to do everything with your spouse, but it's always nice to know they support your love of whatever it is you enjoy.

[sandy]

I actually don't think Kate even watches William hunt anymore.

[Canuck]

Of course no parents are perfect.  But there's a wide range of "not perfect", and within that range I think having an incredibly ugly public divorce complete with affairs and screaming matches at home is probably significantly worse than whatever problems Carole and Michael Middleton's marriage might have.

And yes, of course Diana went to a lot of Charles' events.  But she really didn't enjoy doing so -- she said so herself -- and was bored and resentful a lot of the time.  For his part, I can't think of many (any?) examples of Charles happily going to things Diana was interested in or supporting her activities and interests.
Double post auto-merged: October 01, 2014, 06:43:55 PM

I actually don't think Kate even watches William hunt anymore.

In 2012 while pregnant with George, she still apparently went to watch Will and the others hunt on Boxing Day at Sandringham.  She's also been at a lot of Will's polo matches, including the one she went to with George this year.  On the other side of the coin, I think Kate is much more interested in tennis than Will is, but he plays tennis with her and goes to Wimbledon because she enjoys it.

[sandy]

Diana did go to the matches even when she did not feel well and had an excuse not to go. She was heavily pregnant with William when she went to some of the matches.

Charles went skiing and he and Diana both loved skiing. They also enjoyed swimming.

[Canuck]

Yes, they did seem to both enjoy skiing (as do Will and Kate, actually).  But that's one thing.  I honestly struggle to think of much else that they did together because they both enjoyed it.

And yes, as I said, Diana did go to many of Charles' activities.  But she said she was bored and she hated doing it, and Charles obviously knew she felt that way.

[SophieChloe]

I actually don't think Kate even watches William hunt anymore.

Of course she doesn't.  She's got him now...why bother?  Hook. Line. Sinker.

[sandy]

One good thing to take away from this article is the talk of Diana wanting William to have public speaking lessons. This IMO is something he still needs. I hope he takes the hint.
Double post auto-merged: October 01, 2014, 07:16:05 PM

I actually don't think Kate even watches William hunt anymore.

Of course she doesn't.  She's got him now...why bother?  Hook. Line. Sinker.

I agree. No more picking up dead birds for her!

[Trudie]

Of course no parents are perfect.  But there's a wide range of "not perfect", and within that range I think having an incredibly ugly public divorce complete with affairs and screaming matches at home is probably significantly worse than whatever problems Carole and Michael Middleton's marriage might have.

And yes, of course Diana went to a lot of Charles' events.  But she really didn't enjoy doing so -- she said so herself -- and was bored and resentful a lot of the time.  For his part, I can't think of many (any?) examples of Charles happily going to things Diana was interested in or supporting her activities and interests.
Double post auto-merged: October 01, 2014, 06:43:55 PM

I actually don't think Kate even watches William hunt anymore.

In 2012 while pregnant with George, she still apparently went to watch Will and the others hunt on Boxing Day at Sandringham.  She's also been at a lot of Will's polo matches, including the one she went to with George this year.  On the other side of the coin, I think Kate is much more interested in tennis than Will is, but he plays tennis with her and goes to Wimbledon because she enjoys it.

I believe many of the problems in the household of Charles and Diana stemmed from the fact that Charles friends were oh so lovely and caring of Diana to her face while stabbing her in the back by providing safe houses for Charles and Camilla yet Charles and his family virtually cut her off from her friends isolating her. Diana said Charles warned her himself that people may want to befriend her simply because of her position as POW. Charles was never in attendance at any of the fundraisers for Diana's charities however Diana was in attendance at polo matches and Princes Trust concerts.

Kate wasn't at Sandringham Christmas or Boxing day 2012 she had just been released from the hospital and was at her parents home for the holidays.

[cinrit]

^^ Actually, William and Kate were at Sandringham for Boxing Day.  Date on the following article is 28 December 2012:

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Finally Join Rest of Royal Family for Belated Christmas Celebration - Just In Time for Annual Pheasant Shoot

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have finally joined the rest of the Royal Family for a belated Christmas celebration, after choosing to spend the festive season with the Middleton family instead.

William and Kate arrived at Sandringham House, the Queen's private estate in Norfolk, early on Boxing Day just in time for Prince Philip's annual pheasant shoot.

More: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge finally join rest of Royal Family for belated Christmas celebration - just in time for annual pheasant shoot | Daily

Cindy