Unheard tapes of Princess Diana telling how Charles said he was ‘disappointed’ when Prince Harry was born because ‘we wanted a girl’ are revealed for the first time

Unheard tapes of Princess Diana claiming that King Charles said he was ‘disappointed’ when Prince Harry was born because the couple had ‘wanted a girl’ have been revealed for the first time.  

The audio was recorded by Diana in the 1990s for her biographer Andrew Morton, who went on to publish the bestselling book Diana: Her True Story.

Snippets of the clips, which are set to air in an upcoming documentary and have been released just a day after the 26th anniversary of Diana’s death in a car crash, have been released in the US. 

Diana claims in the recording that Charles told her stepmother Raine Spencer at Prince Harry’s christening in 1984: ‘We’re so disappointed, we wanted a girl’.

Countess Spencer then ‘snapped his head off’ and told him he should ‘realise you are lucky to have a child’, Diana added. 

The release of the clips could be particularly damaging for King Charles because they come just a week before the first anniversary of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Harry wearing his ornate gown at his christening in December 1984

The upcoming documentary, which was revealed on Good Morning America, US network ABC’s headline show, is a follow-up to 2017 production Diana: In Her Own Words.  

It is expected to air on Disney + early next year. Both Harry and Meghan have previously been interviewed on ABC’s GMA.  

Harry promoted his memoir Spare on the network in January, whilst the Duchess of Sussex popped up on GMA to talk up the Disney documentary Elephant, which she narrated. 

Meghan’s former close friend Jessica Mulroney was also a fashion contributor on ABC until the network cut ties with her following her row with black influencer Sasha Exeter.  

Tom Jennings, the producer of both the 2017 documentary and the upcoming one, told ABC: ‘When the first film came out, people were blown away because they had not heard Diana talk like this before.’

He added: ‘It’s a style of storytelling that is very difficult to do but I think it is the closest thing to the truth that you can get because nothing gets in your way. 

‘It is important as part of Diana’s legacy to allow more of those tapes to be heard.’

The Princess recorded seven hours of audio while she was still married to King Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales.

However, not all of the audio was heard in the 2017 documentary. 

Diana says of Charles’s alleged comments about Prince Harry’s birth: ‘At Harry’s christening Charles went up to mummy and said: “We’re so disappointed, we wanted a girl” and mummy snapped his head off and said you should realise you are lucky to have a child that’s normal.”

‘Ever since that day, the shutters have come down. That’s what he does when he gets somebody answering back at him.’

Another clip reveals Diana’s hatred for her stepmother, who her father John had married in 1976 after her mother Frances had left.

Princess Diana during her famous visit to Bosnia in August 1997, less than three weeks before her death

In another clip, which was previously revealed in the 2017 documentary, Diana speaks of her ‘ridiculous’ wedding to Charles 

The wedding of King Charles – then the Prince of Wales – and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, 29th July 1981

Unheard tapes of Princess Diana claiming that King Charles said at Prince Harry’s christening he was ‘disappointed’ because he had ‘wanted a girl’ have been revealed for the first time. Above: Prince Harry at his christening in December 1984 with his brother Prince William, father King Charles – then the Prince of Wales -, grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and great-grandmother the Queen Mother

The audio was recorded by Diana in the 1990s for her biographer Andrew Morton, who went on to publish the bestselling book Diana: Her True Story. Above: Diana with her stepmother Raine Spencer

Another clip reveals Diana’s hatred for her stepmother, who her father John had married in 1976 after her mother Frances had left. Above: The pair in 1997

Earl Spencer married his second wife Raine in 1996. The couple are pictured above at Althorp, the Spencer family seat

After John’s death in 1992, Raine left the family seat of Althorp due to the strained relationship she had with Charles and Diana. 

Diana is heard saying: ‘I was so angry. I told her, “I hate you so much. If only you knew how much we all hated you for what you’ve done.

“You’ve ruined the house, you’ve spent Daddy’s money.” I said everything I possibly could and Raine said, “you have no idea how much pain mother put your father through.”

‘I said, “Pain, Raine? That’s one word you don’t even know how to relate to.”

“In my job and in my role, I see people suffer like you’ve never seen. And you call that pain?” I said, “you’ve got a lot to learn.”‘

Diana and her siblings are said to have referred to their stepmother as ‘Acid Raine’ and often sang ‘Raine, Raine, go away!’  

In another clip, which was previously revealed in the 2017 documentary, Diana speaks of her ‘ridiculous’ wedding to Charles in 1981. 

She says: ‘It was so grown up. Here’s Diana, a kindergarten teacher. I mean the whole thing was ridiculous.’ 

Mr Morton’s book, which was originally published in 1992, told the ‘true’ story of Diana’s marriage to the then Prince Charles, which, contrary to the public image at the time, was in deep trouble.

Andrew Morton’s 1992 biography of Princess Diana (left) was written with the royal’s close collaboration. It told the ‘true’ story of Diana’s marriage to the then Prince Charles. Right: Morton in 2018

Diana opened up about her intense unhappiness and feelings of depression that led to her attempts to take her own life.

The revelations – condemned by many as sensationalist – were so damaging for the royals’ public image that many book shops and supermarkets banned it, totally unaware that Diana was the main source behind the work. 

The Princess also described cutting herself with a pen knife, throwing herself down the stairs when she was pregnant and throwing up four times a day as bulimia took hold.  

The biographer capitalised on his bestselling work by releasing Diana: Her True Story In Her Own Words just months after her death in 1997. 

The book featured the transcripts of their conversations, officially outing her as the main source.

This was followed by Diana: In Pursuit of Love in 2004, which detailed her affairs with the likes of soldier James Hewitt, heart surgeon Hasnat Khan and property developer Christopher Walley.