'The Crown': Did Princess Diana Throw Herself Down Stairs While Pregnant?

Season five of the hit Netflix drama series The Crown covers the turbulent early years of the 1990s which presented a number of challenges for Queen Elizabeth II and her family that threatened the stability of the monarchy.

Among the events covered are those in 1992 that contributed to the year Elizabeth would famously refer to as her "annus horribilis." These events included the great fire at Windsor Castle, the divorce of Princess Anne, the toe-sucking scandal of the Duchess of York, and the official separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

In the summer of 1992, an explosive biography of Diana was published by the young royal journalist Andrew Morton.

Though the palace vehemently denied that the princess had any involvement in providing information to the author, the deeply personal revelations made within—including Diana's experiences with eating disorders, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and the breakdown of her marriage—it was revealed just months after her death that she had recorded lengthy interviews for Morton.

The publication and fallout from the Morton biography, which hastened Charles and Diana's official separation, has been covered by The Crown, including the bombshell claim that while pregnant with Prince William, the princess threw herself down the stairs in a state of desperation.

But what is the true story behind the on-screen dramatization? Newsweek has the answers.

Did Princess Diana Collaborate With Andrew Morton for His Biography?

In 1991, Princess Diana was 30 years old and a participant in an unhappy marriage. Though she could speak openly of her troubles to her most intimate circle of friends, she had no way of communicating her side of events to the public, who were only informed by what little information was leaked about herself and her marriage to the press.

Morton was a journalist working in London and had written a number of books on the history of royal palaces and a biography of Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York.

Morton and Diana had a connection in common through Dr. James Colthurst, with whom Diana had been friends since she was a teenager. Through Colthurst, the princess would feed Morton small stories and ask advice before arranging to give him a full interview to collaborate on what would be a groundbreaking biography.

Morton could not be seen at Kensington Palace and so the princess recorded her interviews with Colthurst and these tapes were given to Morton to transcribe.

In her conversations, Diana revealed her isolation and loneliness at Kensington Palace, her battle with postnatal depression and for the first time, spoke out about her husband's affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Camilla.

Did Princess Diana Throw Herself Down The Stairs While Pregnant?

Some of the most distressing pieces of information given to Morton were about the princess' experiences with self-harm. This was best illustrated in an incident that took place in 1982 while pregnant with Prince William.

In the 25th anniversary edition of Diana: Her True Story, Morton published a transcript of her interviews.

"I threw myself down the stairs [at Sandringham]," Diana said in the interviews. "Charles said I was crying wolf and I said I felt so desperate and I was crying my eyes out and he said: 'I'm not going to listen. You're always doing this to me. I'm going riding now.'

"So I threw myself down the stairs. The queen comes out, absolutely horrified, shaking—she was so frightened. I knew I wasn't going to lose the baby; quite bruised around the stomach."

The cry for help did not have the desired effect, she recounted:

"Charles went out riding and when he came back, you know, it was just dismissal, total dismissal. He just carried on out the door."

What Was The Royal Family's Reaction to the Morton Biography?

Diana: Her True Story was published in June 1992 and was serialized in Britain by the broadsheet newspaper The Sunday Times.

As publication day approached, speculation over whether Diana had collaborated with the book began to circulate. Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the contents of the book or it's claims, however, they denied that the princess collaborated with Morton in any way.

Despite this, the book still had a profound effect on the monarchy and on Charles and Diana's marriage.

Just six months after its publication, Charles and Diana officially announced their formal separation. At the time, the public was told that the separation would not prevent Diana from becoming queen and that there were no plans to divorce.

Over the years that would follow that position changed and the couple divorced in 1996, just a year before the princess' untimely death at the age of 36 in a Paris car crash.

The publication of the Morton book contributed to Queen Elizabeth II's troubles in 1992. In December, just weeks after her eldest son's separation was announced in parliament, Windsor Castle caught fire.

In a speech given at London's Guildhall days later she said: "1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an 'annus horribilis,'" she said.

"I suspect that I am not alone in thinking it so. Indeed, I suspect that there are very few people or institutions unaffected by these last months of worldwide turmoil and uncertainty."

In the months following Diana's death, Morton revealed to the press that the princess had collaborated on the 1992 project, confirming what many had speculated. He has since published the audio tapes between the princess and Colthurst and has said they will be donated to a university after his death.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org

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