Diana, Princess of Wales, was an instant sensation with the public. Her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales, brought a refreshing view of the Royal Family, through her kind grace and demeanor. She used her platform to promote charities and become a fashion trendsetter. However, as the world fell in love with Princess Di, her husband fell out of love with her more and more.
The young couple met when Diana was just 16 years old and Charles was 29 years old. The 13-year age gap between the couple did not positively affect their relationship, as there was a difference in maturity and experience. However, when Prince Charles turned 32, he married Princess Diana, despite uneasy feelings. The royal wedding was titled the “wedding of the century” by viewers around the world, and marked a high point of popularity for the royal family.
It is not a secret that Prince Charles was in love with another girl, Camilla Shand. Though he went through with his own marriage to Diana, Charles never forgot about Camilla. His rocky relationship with Princess Diana was mainly due to his affair which he was unwilling to end. Because of this, the royal marriage wasn’t the “fairy tale” people once imagined for them. In fact, throughout their entire relationship, Prince Charles became extremely controlling and angry towards his wife and commonly did not speak to her for weeks on end.
In front of the cameras and press, the couple showed no sign of trouble. By attending galas, traveling the world, and socializing with friends, the conflict was able to be concealed. Behind closed doors, however, the couple could not tolerate one another. Though both parties wanted to end the marriage early on, the Crown did not initially permit it. This caused a constant state of tension between the couple, and subsequently, the royal family.
Around 1992, the princess gained enough courage to speak up about her situation. Written by Andrew Morton, Diana: Her True Story revealed the complete truth of the marriage and her personal struggles. Diana assisted in the writing of the book by sending voice recordings of the events of her life to Morton. Awareness of the princess’ situation was rapidly growing and the public did not like it.
Partly due to the book, the crown finally agreed to a divorce in December of 1992. The Prince and Princess formally separated, though they both carried on with their royal duties. The divorce was finalized in 1996, and the Prince’s affair was publicly acknowledged. Camilla Shand, by then known as Camilla Parker Bowles, also divorced her husband, leaving her available for Prince Charles.
Just one year after her divorce, Princess Diana was killed in a tragic car accident in Paris. There was immense grief across the public and the royal family. Prince Charles himself showed his grief by going to Paris to bring her back to England. He also supposedly postponed his plans to announce his partnership with Camilla, but eventually officially announced their relationship in 2005.
Diana was a remarkable woman. People all over the world, who never actually met her, felt an immense connection to her and her story. She brought a refreshing view to the royal family and was lucky enough to have the courage to share her story. Her love, strength, and character will always be remembered.