In August, the king will mark 29 years since his divorce from the princess became official.
Even now, almost three decades later, their destructive relationship continues to engage the public, who still mourn the tragic death of the princess, with the blame still pointed at the king.
Over the years, the princess’s close aides, including her personal trainer, shared more and more confidential information.
Now, her personal trainer reveals sensitive details about their toxic relationship.
In the 1970s, the king briefly dated the princess’s older sister.
The relationship did not succeed, and as the king approached age 30, he began to feel pressure to start a family.
He chose the princess, who was only 19 at the time, and rumors claim that he was encouraged by a former love, who later became his official partner.
A biographer reported that early in their relationship, the king saw the princess as a type of attraction. In a recorded conversation, she said that at the beginning of the relationship, he used to invite her to spend time with him constantly.
“He was completely focused on me and it was very strange,” she said, knowing he had strong feelings for his former love.
She was also very surprised by his marriage proposal and thought he was joking.
Two days after the proposal, she traveled abroad with her mother to prepare for the wedding, and during the three weeks she was away, he did not call her.
“I tried to contact him several times but he never called back,” she said.
Despite this, and according to the royal plan, in February 1981 an official announcement was made about their engagement.
The royal wedding took place five months later at a major cathedral with 3,500 invited guests and an estimated 750 million television viewers worldwide.
A year later, their first child was born, and two years after that, their second child was born.
Life with the king and the royal family was not easy for the princess.
Over the years, reports revealed that she suffered from severe depression, eating disorders, and even attempted suicide multiple times.
A well-known story she shared herself is the moment when she threw herself down the palace stairs while carrying her first child and landed near the queen.
“I told him I was deeply depressed and cried a lot, but he just said I was whining,” she recalled.
Their marriage fell apart in the 1980s, they separated in 1992, and divorced four years later.
During this time, the king’s partner was present in the background and eventually became his official spouse.
In late August 1997, the princess traveled abroad for a short vacation and planned training sessions with her personal trainer upon her return.
The princess wanted a break from everything and enjoyed spending time in the sun.
“She went through so much, there was a lot of sadness,” said the trainer. “She did not want this life, she did not want anything from it.
All she ever wanted was to be a good woman and a good mother.
She loved her children so much, they were everything to her.”
The princess shared very personal details with her trainer, who would sometimes ask her to stop, fearing that if it reached the press, the princess might blame her.
Tragically, the princess never had the chance to meet her trainer again.
On August 31, she died in a car accident while trying to escape paparazzi photographers.
The trainer was on vacation at the time.
She said she felt shocked and mourned the personal loss deeply.
The trainer began working with the princess in 1991 after receiving a surprising phone call from a member of the princess’s staff.
She recalled being very nervous at their first meeting and unaware of all royal protocols.
During training sessions, the princess was very dedicated and cared about doing everything correctly. She even noticed when others in the gym were not performing exercises properly and asked the trainer to correct them.
She sometimes exercised outdoors and enjoyed rollerblading as a fun activity together.
The trainer witnessed the princess’s struggles during the hardest years of her life, through marital breakdowns, drama, and pain.
She also saw the princess’s efforts to become a strong and independent woman.
The trainer even witnessed the princess trying to evade photographers, sometimes unsuccessfully. The princess would wear the same sweatshirt daily to avoid new photos being taken.
Years later, the trainer sold the sweatshirt at a charity auction, believing the princess would have approved.
The trainer became pregnant while working with the princess, and the princess gave her a small gift for the baby before her birth.
After the baby was born, the trainer occasionally visited the palace with her daughter.
The princess’s story ended tragically. In the fatal car accident, her companion was killed instantly, while she was initially rescued from the car but later died due to severe internal injuries.
There are claims that if the paparazzi had helped rather than photographed, the outcome could have been different.
Nine months before her death, the princess wrote a letter to a confidant, expressing fears that her husband intended to cause her harm in a car accident to remarry.
After her death, he said it was frightening to realize she had predicted her fate so far in advance.
Even today, decades after the divorce and her death, she remains beloved by the public, while resentment toward the king persists.