In a startling new documentary, Princess Diana’s former bodyguard has opened up about a chilling and dangerous incident from the Princess of Wales’s life in the early 1990s — a revelation that casts fresh light on her emotional turmoil following the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles.

Ken Wharfe, who served as Diana’s personal protection officer for more than six years, reveals that during a stay at a ski resort in Austria in 1993, Diana jumped roughly 20 feet from a first-floor balcony in the dead of night — a move he later described as a reckless attempt to get some fresh air but one that could have been fatal. According to Wharfe, there was deep snow below, and an almost human-shaped impression in the snow suggested she had leapt down without warning. 
Wharfe says he was shocked by the incident and concerned for her mental state at the time, recalling that when he later found her, she was “very buoyant” and insisted she had simply “needed a bit of air” and “wanted out” of the situation without wanting to make a fuss. archive.vn
The event came amid a period of intense personal struggle for Diana, who was still only recently separated from Charles, and according to Wharfe, it was symptomatic of her ongoing distress — so much so that he eventually felt he could no longer safely protect her and resigned from his role shortly after. 
Wharfe now reflects on that time as a turning point, believing that Diana’s decision to distance herself from her full security detail ultimately left her more vulnerable in the years that followed. 
These revelations come as part of Diana: The Princess and the Bodyguard, a documentary that examines the Princess’s life through the eyes of the man who was once charged with her safety. 
— This article is based on firsthand accounts from Diana’s former bodyguard as documented in recent television reporting and archived news summaries.