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According to a new book, Princess Diana’s bulimia took such a toll after her wedding that her ring had to be altered after her honeymoon.
Valentine Low, a royal writer for the Times of London, penned “Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown,” which was released Thursday in the United Kingdom. In the book, he chronicles the modern history of the royal family through the eyes of courtiers, a phrase referring to the members of each royal household’s staff.
In the chapter titled “Growing Up,” Low describes the experiences of Michael Colborne, a private secretary who worked for Charles and Diana during their early years of marriage. The author said that Colborne watched not only the “disintegration” of the couple’s marriage, which began after their 1981 wedding, but also the beginning of Diana’s battle with the eating condition bulimia nervosa.
According to Low, Charles summoned Colborne to Balmoral, Scotland, where he and Diana spent some time in 1981 after a turbulent two-week honeymoon. Low reported there that Diana revealed to the private secretary how unhappy she was and that, following an altercation with Charles, the prince tossed her wedding ring at him.
“Colborne overheard Charles and Diana engaging in a heated argument. Then Charles suddenly emerged and tossed something at Colborne: it was Diana’s wedding ring, which Colborne caught “Author authored.
“Diana had lost so much weight that the dress no longer fit and required alterations,” he continued.
Soon after their July 1981 wedding, Diana’s ring required a modification.
David Levenson/Getty Images
Diana, at 20 years old, had exhibited symptoms of her disease for months. The National Health Service of the United Kingdom defines anorexia nervosa as an eating disorder and mental health illness in which the individual eats “a lot of food in a short period of time (binge eating) and then makes themselves sick” to prevent weight gain.
According to Andrew Morton’s 1992 biography, which was based on confession tapes taken by the princess, Diana’s problem began prior to her marriage to Prince Charles.
According to Vogue, she claimed on the tapes: “The bulimia began a week after we became engaged and would take nearly a decade to overcome.” “My husband placed his hand on my waistline and commented, ‘Oh, we’re a bit plump, aren’t we?’ This aroused something in me.”
Her wedding ring is not the only object that has been shrunk as a result of her bulimia. As Vogue also noted, her wedding dress designer stated that Diana’s waist measured between 26 and 27 inches when they began fittings for the big day. By her wedding in July 1981, though, her waist had shrunk to 23 inches.
According to Elle Magazine, the princess used her experience later in life to advocate for others.
In 1993, at a keynote address, she introduced the topic of eating disorders and discussed how they might damage an individual’s entire health.
