Prince Charles and Princess Diana might have seemed perfect at first, but there was no happily ever after for these royals. He was one of the most eligible bachelors at the time, and she was a noble swept off her feet by a prince. However, we all know the truth behind this story now. There were some clear signs from the beginning that things weren’t right between them, which led to the couple ultimately divorcing in 1996.
When it comes to royal relationships love isn’t always the main thing between the bride and groom. Princess Diana was of a royal lineage and had her status as a Spencer. King Charles being Prince of Wales at the time needed to marry a royal to produce more heirs to the throne. Just like a lot of royal relationships, their relationship too was built on duty towards the nation rather than real romance. From mutual infidelity to the pressure from the royal families, let’s take a look at why the couple couldn’t make it work.
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Why Did Prince Charles And Diana Split?
Princess Diana herself admitted that she met Prince Charles only 13 times before getting engaged. This was a little too fast if we see it in a conventional sense. Isn’t it? One cannot ignore the role of media and constant scrutiny in their marriage. The two were constantly pursued by the media because they were the future of Buckingham palace. She even expressed this and said, “My husband and I were told when we got engaged that the media would go quietly and it didn’t; and then when you are married to said it would go quietly and it didn’t; and then it started to focus very much on me, and I seem to be on the front of every newspaper which is an isolating experience.”
Moreover, the world already knows about Prince Charles’s infidelity. When he first struck up a romance with Camilla Parker Bowles, he was still married to Diana. He told the New York Times that he was “faithful to Diana until it became irretrievably broken down as both having tried.” Diana revealed in her interview that when she confronted her husband about his relationship he said, “Well I refused to be the only Prince of Wales who never had a mistress.”
However, Charles wasn’t the only one who stepped out of his marriage. Reportedly, Diana also had a fling with her bodyguard Barry Mannakee. After Mannakee was relieved of his duties, she became intimate with her son’s riding instructor James Hewitt.
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Details Of The Royal Divorce
Charles and Diana eventually announced their separation. They had intended to try and make the marriage work and continue the duties as a royal couple. But they were forced to separate and officially split. After the announcement of this official separation, Queen Elizabeth II openly demanded in separate letters to Charles and Diana that the two file for a divorce.
Statement from the palace said, “After considering the present situation, the queen who wrote to both Prince and princess earlier this week and give them her view supported by Duke of Edinburgh, that an early divorce is desirable.”
It added, “Elizabeth and Philip will continue to do all they can to help and support the Prince and Princess of Wales and most particularly their children in this difficult period.” In August 1996, two months after the Queen urged the couple to divorce, the Prince and Princess reached a final agreement. And, that was the end of what felt like a whole era of Diana and Charles’ married life.
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