Princess Diana shoved stepmother Raine down stairs after insult, brother claims

Princess Diana shoved her stepmother, Raine Spencer, down a staircase in 1989 after Raine insulted her intelligence regarding her marriage to Prince Charles, according to a new memoir by Diana's brother, Charles Spencer. The incident occurred at Althorp during Charles Spencer's wedding rehearsal dinner, where tensions escalated after Raine treated Diana's mother, Frances Shand Kydd, poorly. Raine then told Diana she felt sorry for Prince Charles marrying "somebody quite as stupid as you," prompting Diana to hook her leg around Raine's calves and push her down the carpeted stairs, though Raine landed unharmed. Charles Spencer, 62, details the confrontation in his memoir "Swan Song: My Sister, Diana," noting it was one of only three times Diana "physically lashed out." He framed her actions as a flashpoint from standing up for her mother, not condoning violence but explaining the buildup of strong feelings.