Princess Diana Tapes Reveal Bulimia Anguish After Fat-Shaming by Prince Charles

A comment about her weight from Prince Charles triggered Princess Diana's battle with bulimia.

Diana shared her anguish in recordings given to her biographer Andrew Morton. PEOPLE reports that the tapes now reveal that the eating disorder started soon after Diana's engagement to Prince Charles.

MORE: Princess Diana Letters Detailing Touching Moments in Sons' Childhoods Unearthed

"The bulimia started the week after we got engaged (and would take nearly a decade to overcome)," Diana said in the recording. "My husband put his hand on my waistline and said 'Oh, a bit chubby here aren't we?' and that triggered off something in me. And the Camilla thing."

"I was desperate, desperate. I remember the first time I made myself sick. I was so thrilled because I thought this was the release of tension," she continued. "the first time I was measured for my wedding dress, I was 29 inches around the waist. The day I got married, I was 23 1/2 inches. I had shrunk to nothing from February to July. I had shrunk to nothing," she said.

Morton, whose "Diana: Her True Story – in Her Own Words" is being republished with a new forward to coincide with the 20th anniversary of her death in August, said in the book that Diana's struggle may have had a positive outcome.

"Having suffered much, she is now able to empathize with those who suffer far more," he wrote. "Whatever happens to her personally, it must be heartening for her to know that thousands of women have gone for help as a result of the publicity."

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