For decades, Lady Sarah McCorquodale remained a quiet presence in the shadow of one of the most iconic women in history — her younger sister, Princess Diana. While the world watched Diana soar into the spotlight, Sarah stayed silent. Until now.
In a rare and deeply personal interview, the now 60-year-old elder Spencer sister has finally chosen to speak. Her words weren’t dramatic. They didn’t seek pity. But they were honest — and they’ve left Britain stunned.
“I never thought I’d say these things,” Sarah began, her voice soft but steady. “But if not now, then perhaps never.”
She spoke of their childhood — not the aristocratic fairytale most imagine, but a home cracked by cold silences and deep emotional wounds. “Diana was sensitive. When our mother left, she didn’t cry. She just stared out the window for hours.”
And then came the revelation many had long forgotten: it was Sarah — not Diana — who dated Prince Charles first. The relationship was brief, ending famously when Sarah declared she wouldn’t marry Charles “if he were the dustman or the King of England.” But that short-lived courtship opened the path. A few years later, Charles returned — and this time, it was Diana who caught his eye.
“She was only 16,” Sarah recalled. “I remember seeing the way he looked at her… and I just knew. My sister was about to step into a world she couldn’t possibly understand.”
Diana was chosen — not for love, but for her clean record, her noble bloodline, and her perceived pliability. Just 12 meetings later, Charles proposed. The world saw a fairytale. Sarah saw something else. “On her wedding day, as she walked into St. Paul’s, I felt something tighten in my chest. People were cheering. But I kept wondering — does anyone see how alone she is?”
Their relationship had its seasons — at times distant, but always bonded by something unspoken. “She called me the night William was born,” Sarah revealed. “She was crying. She whispered, ‘I don’t think I belong here.’”
When asked whether she ever feels responsible for opening the door to Diana’s fate, Sarah paused. Her silence lingered. Then, she answered:
“Yes. I think… I was the one who opened the door. But she was the one who walked through it. Alone.”
