Earl Charles Spencer has said he believes his late sister, Princess Diana, may have lived with undiagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. In an interview with People magazine, Earl Spencer, who received his own ADHD diagnosis as an adult, said he recognises the same traits in Diana, who died in 1997.
ADHD Symptoms and Misdiagnosis
Earl Spencer said Diana displayed symptoms that went unrecognised during her lifetime, including emotional sensitivity and difficulties in relationships. He rejected previous speculation that Diana may have had bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder, saying: "I was only found out to have very severe ADHD late in life, and I know it's exactly what Diana had. It's so similar. But Diana was as extreme."
He added: "I've got really upset when people have tried to say, because Diana could get very hurt and emotional, they would say, 'Oh, maybe she had bipolar or borderline personality' and all these. Who knows? I know it's not those, by the way, but these people throw out these theories. I think it's more humdrum in a way. I think it was ADHD, and rejection for people with ADHD goes very, very deep."
Dyslexia and Relationship Struggles
Earl Spencer also suggested Diana had dyslexia, noting her difficulties with spelling and word order. He said: "Look, Diana was born in 1961, and certainly the private school system in England was not tuned into children's needs as they are today. I think Diana suffered from dyslexia. She found spelling and word orders and letter orders quite tricky."
These claims are part of his new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, in which he shares personal memories of their relationship. He described how Diana would suddenly cut people out of her life, attributing this behaviour to her undiagnosed ADHD. "This isn't a criticism," he said. "It's a recognition that she was struggling with a condition that was totally undiagnosed, and she could turn on a pin. If she felt a friend had let her down, that was a really big deal and it was difficult to come back from that."
Family Fallouts and Public Pressure
Earl Spencer acknowledged that Diana had fallings-out with every member of their family at some point. He said: "There wasn't a single member of my family who Diana didn't fall out with and turn her back on for some time. But I suppose as family, we weren't going anywhere, so we came back into favour or whatever. But understanding the ADHD aspect of that is really helpful."
He also addressed the pressure Diana faced in public life, saying: "And also the extraordinary pressure she was under... People said, 'Oh, she was paranoid.' No, she wasn't. She was sensitive to rejection, and she felt very let down by people. And because of her ADHD, because of her personality and her character, she felt these things very deeply."
Reflecting on the toll of her public role, Earl Spencer said: "I used to feel this extraordinary thing about Diana, that it was almost like people had no idea how much they were taking from her. And I'm talking about innocent members of the public, who adored her, but she felt the need to give. I think it made her feel better about life, but it was draining."
