The Royal family opens the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain at Hyde Park in London. Video / AP
Diana's former nanny has contradicted claims the princess felt the "trauma" of her parents' divorce and says she had a "sheltered" childhood, according to the Daily Mail.
Princess Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd died in 2004 at 68 after leaving John Spencer in 1969 and moving out of the family home when Diana was 7.
Last week Diana's brother Charles described their childhood as "ruptured" and "agonising".
But Diana's former nanny, Mary Clarke, has disputed his claims. Speaking to the Sunday Times, she said, "Those children didn't even know about that court case ... they didn't know any of that trauma was going on ... they were very sheltered. Those parents gave them a wonderful life."
Clarke was 21 when she beat over 60 applicants to look after 10-year-old Diana, whom she described as a "lovely child" in the Spencers' Norfolk home on the Queen's Sandringham estate.
Charles Spencer said in an interview earlier this month that his sister "used to wait on the doorstep for her mother to return" after their parents' divorce.
But Clarke says their mother was a "lovely person" who would visit her children often.
"The children spent quite a lot of time with her ... they had wonderful times when they were with her."
She added that Diana loved being outside, recalling days out at Brancaster beach in Norfolk, playing outside building dens in the woods, and swimming at the Park House pool.
Princess Diana's former nanny has come forward to contradict Charles Spencer's claims they had an unhappy childhood. Photo / Getty Images
Clarke said the court cases after Diana's parents' split were handled "extremely well" and that her mother's bid for custody of the children showed how much she loved them.
Charles Spencer spoke out about Princess Diana's death on Radio 4.
Diana died at 36 in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. This year marks the 23rd anniversary of her death.
She and her mother had a difficult relationship and were not speaking at the time of her death.
Charles said of the loss that "Everyone's personal loss is so intensely personal. And 23 years ago, it was very much a public outpouring."
He said he's "always surprised by how difficult" the anniversary of his sister's death remains, revealing it still "takes him out at the knees".
"I'm always surprised by how difficult August 31 is each year actually. I always slightly brace myself for it and it does take me out at the knees. It is a very poignant time."
