New Discoveries About Diana and Charles’s Marriage

In the 21st century, we all understand that life inside the royal family is not like a fairytale. But back in the 1980s, when there was no social media or instant messaging, many people believed in perfect love stories. However, just like today, real life was very different from “happily ever after.”

Even though the Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorce happened over 20 years ago, their dramatic love story still feels important today. Thanks to Netflix’s The Crown, many people are talking again about the royal couple’s problems. Meghan Markle’s recent royal experiences also remind people of Diana’s struggles.

However, it is important to know that The Crown on Netflix is not a real documentary. It is based on real events but also adds drama for entertainment. Here is the true story of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage, and why their fairytale ended in heartbreak.

Doomed from the start

In 1992, Buckingham Palace officially ended the royal fairytale that had gone terribly wrong. In just seven short sentences, the Palace announced that the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was over—11 years after their grand royal wedding watched by millions around the world.

Looking back today, it seems clear that their relationship was doomed from the beginning. But how did everything fall apart so badly? Surprisingly, Diana was not even the first Spencer sister Charles fell for!

Dating her sister

The real story of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s relationship doesn’t start with them. It starts with Charles dating Lady Sarah Spencer, Diana’s older sister. Their romance ended when Sarah spoke too openly to the media. She not only shared her personal problems but also said she would never marry Charles, “whether he was a garbage man or the King of England.”

After her shocking comments, Charles quickly ended things. But during one visit to Althorp House, the historic Spencer family estate, he met a young 16-year-old Diana for the first time—a moment that would change history.

It began with the light switches

Their first meeting was innocent. Charles was 29, and Diana was just a teenager. He had come to Althorp for a weekend hunting trip and later remembered thinking how “fun” Diana was.

Diana, for her part, was excited. She told her piano teacher, “I’ve met him at last!” During his stay, Diana showed Charles around the art gallery because she knew where all the hidden light switches were—something her older sister did not. That small moment stuck with Charles for years.

Charles wasn’t ‘very cool’

Even though they clicked, Prince Charles and Princess Diana didn’t see much of each other for the next three years. They met again in 1980, under sad circumstances: Charles was mourning the loss of his beloved great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, who was killed by extremists.

Diana felt sympathy and offered him comforting words. In response, Charles allegedly “leapt on her,” according to Diana. She had never had a boyfriend before and thought, “This isn’t very cool.”

A strange courtship

Despite the awkward start, their relationship grew. Charles and Diana entered a short but intense dating period. However, Charles wasn’t exactly charming all the time.

Later, during her public speaking lessons, Diana spoke about their strange courtship. She said there were times Charles would call her every day, and other times he wouldn’t call for three weeks. It was confusing, but Diana cherished every phone call.

“Whatever ‘in love’ means”

When Prince Charles announced his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, not just Britain but the whole world celebrated. Diana, only 19 years old, seemed like a fresh and perfect choice for the old-fashioned British royal family. Everyone believed she would be the future Queen. Everyone – except maybe Charles himself.

During their engagement interview, a reporter asked if they were in love. Diana quickly said, “Of course.” Charles, awkwardly laughing, added, “Whatever ‘in love’ means.” At the time, it seemed like a small mistake. Now, it feels like a warning for what was coming.

Their wildly different takes on their first meeting

The same interview showed even more differences between Charles and Diana. When asked about their first meeting, Diana called Charles “pretty amazing.”

Charles, on the other hand, said Diana was “jolly and amusing.” Then he added she was “great fun, bouncy, and full of life.” It sounded nice, but it also showed that their feelings might not have been equally strong from the start.

Pushed into proposing?

If Charles had doubts, why did he propose? According to royal expert Robert Jobson, Charles told a friend that breaking up would have been “catastrophic.”

He was over 30 and under pressure from his family. His grandmother, the Queen Mother, thought Diana was perfect. His father, Prince Philip, reportedly pushed Charles to either marry Diana or end things completely.

Charles reportedly told Diana he didn’t love her on their wedding day’s eve

The night before a wedding should be magical. But for Charles and Diana, it was heartbreaking.

In a 2020 documentary, Diana’s astrologer Penny Thornton claimed that Charles told Diana the night before their wedding that he didn’t love her. Even worse, Charles reportedly told friends Diana looked too young, like she still belonged in school.

Too late for Diana to back out now

Two weeks before the royal wedding, Diana discovered Charles had gifted Camilla Parker Bowles a bracelet engraved with their secret nicknames, “G” and “F” (Gladys and Fred).

Devastated, Diana reportedly told her sisters she wanted to cancel the wedding. Their reply? “Your face is already on the tea towels.” She had no way out.

Diana’s first brush with the paparazzi

Princess Diana later became the biggest target of the paparazzi, and sadly, it would play a role in her tragic death in 1997. But even early in 1981, Diana struggled with the attention.

After only 12 dates with Charles, she was already facing a media frenzy, bursting into tears while driving. She once said, “I know it’s their job, but sometimes I wish they wouldn’t.”

Camilla won the final moment with Charles

One month after proposing to Diana, Charles was preparing for a tour of Australia and New Zealand. Diana was heartbroken to see him leave.

Then, a call came from Camilla. Their conversation was so tender that Diana, feeling hurt and embarrassed, left the room. It was another painful reminder that she would always compete with Camilla for Charles’s love.

Overhearing Charles’s phone conversation

After their engagement, Diana moved from her shared London flat into Clarence House, then later Buckingham Palace. She felt deeply lonely there.

One day, Diana overheard Charles on the phone with Camilla while he was in the bath, saying, “Whatever happens, I will always love you.” She also found Camilla’s photo falling out of his diary.

Wedding day bliss?

On July 29, 1981, Diana became the Princess of Wales in front of 750 million viewers and thousands outside St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The world celebrated a royal fairytale, but behind the smiles, Diana already felt abandoned. “He was going to look after me,” she said later. “How wrong I was.”

Can’t escape Camilla

Shockingly, Camilla was even at the royal wedding. Diana later recalled searching the crowd for her, finding Camilla sitting quietly, her face pale.

The painful sight may have caused Diana’s famous mistake at the altar—mixing up Charles’s names, calling him “Philip Charles Arthur George” instead of “Charles Philip Arthur George.”

The fall while pregnant with William

Less than a year after their fairytale wedding, Prince Charles and Princess Diana welcomed their first child, Prince William. Pregnancy is usually one of the happiest times in a couple’s life — but for Charles and Diana, it was full of sadness and misunderstanding.

Diana’s butler, Paul Burrell, once heard a loud noise and found Diana lying halfway down the stairs while four months pregnant. Shockingly, Diana later admitted she had thrown herself down the stairs to get Charles’s attention. This heartbreaking moment shows how deeply troubled their marriage already was.

Diana’s postpartum depression

After giving birth to William, Diana faced another challenge: postpartum depression. This common but painful condition is still hard for many to talk about, even today.

Diana revealed years later that she struggled to get out of bed and felt totally misunderstood. Sadly, instead of receiving support, she was labeled “unstable” by the royal family. She felt like they preferred her as a guest, not as a true member of the family.

‘A bit chubby, aren’t we?’

Tragically, Diana’s emotional pain didn’t start after the birth — it began even earlier. Just a week after their engagement, Charles playfully grabbed her waist and said, “A bit chubby, aren’t we?”

The comment crushed Diana’s self-esteem. Under the intense pressure of royal life and constant media attention, she developed an eating disorder that haunted her for nearly a decade. Diana later said she lost five and a half inches from her waist between the engagement and the wedding. “I had shrunk to nothing,” she said.

The Australian tour that changed everything

In 1983, Diana went on her first overseas royal tour to Australia and New Zealand at just 21 years old.

This 40-day tour was huge — the biggest royal trip since Queen Elizabeth II’s 1954 visit. Crowds of up to 40,000 came to see them. But behind the smiles, a storm was brewing.

A wedge forever driven between them

During the tour, Diana quickly became the people’s favorite. She shook hands with over 6,000 people and won hearts everywhere.

While Charles joked about it publicly, privately he was jealous. Diana later said Charles hated how people adored her more than him. It drove a wedge between them that never healed.

Hope for the future of their relationship

In early 1984, Diana became pregnant again. For a brief moment, there was real hope their marriage could improve.

Charles had always wanted a daughter, but Diana secretly knew she was carrying a boy. She didn’t tell him, hoping the news wouldn’t ruin the happy times they were sharing. Sadly, it didn’t go as planned.

Charles’s awful jokes during Harry’s birth

When Prince Harry was born, Charles’s reaction devastated Diana.

He reportedly said, “Oh God, it’s a boy,” and joked about Harry’s red hair. Diana was heartbroken — not just because she had just gone through a painful nine-hour birth, but because her family was full of redheads, making his comment even more painful.

Their marriage ‘goes bang’

Charles’s insensitive remarks didn’t stop there. At Harry’s christening, he told Diana’s mother they were “disappointed” Harry wasn’t a girl.

Diana’s mother was so upset that she told Diana, making her realize that something in her had changed forever. Diana said after Harry’s birth, their marriage “went bang” — it fell apart completely.

Their simultaneous affairs

By 1986, both Charles and Diana had moved on to other relationships.

Charles resumed his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, and Diana started a relationship with James Hewitt, her riding instructor. Their love story became one of the biggest royal family scandals in history. Though some rumors falsely claimed Hewitt was Harry’s father, the timeline proves otherwise.

‘Deeply in love’ with her married protection officer

While many blame Prince Charles for his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, it’s important to remember that Princess Diana also had emotional struggles. From 1984 to 1986, Diana reportedly fell deeply in love with her bodyguard, Barry Mannakee, who was already married.

Diana once said she was ready to give up her fame and fortune just to be with Mannakee. But when rumors of their affair started, Barry was suddenly removed from his duties — or as Diana said, he was “chucked out.”

Prince Philip’s disturbing conversation with Charles

What made Charles finally give in and restart his romance with Camilla? According to Diana’s taped conversations with her voice coach, it was advice from his father, Prince Philip.

Diana revealed that Philip told Charles if his marriage didn’t work after five years, he could return to Camilla. Charles and Diana married in 1981 — and by 1986, the five-year mark had passed.

The mouse that roared

By the late 1980s, Diana had changed completely. She was no longer the shy teenager Charles had married. She became a global icon, dancing with John Travolta and meeting stars like Elton John.

Meanwhile, Charles had also changed — once seen as a dashing prince, he now preferred quiet country life. The once-loving couple had grown apart.

Working up the nerve to confront Camilla

In 1989, Diana finally faced Camilla Parker Bowles during a private birthday party for Camilla’s sister.

Diana bravely told Camilla, “I know what’s going on between you and Charles.” Camilla replied, saying Diana already had “all the men in the world” in love with her. Diana simply answered, “I want my husband.”

Later, Charles demanded to know what Diana had said. Diana calmly told him, “I love you — and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

‘I know what’s going on between you and Charles’

Over the years, Charles has been painted badly in the media. However, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith suggested that Diana sometimes mocked Charles and told him he would never be king.

Despite these claims, most public sympathy has always remained with Diana, especially because of her openness about her emotional struggles.

Diana’s alleged emotional abuse

In 1992, a powerful image made headlines worldwide: Princess Diana sitting alone in front of the Taj Mahal, the symbol of eternal love.

Twelve years earlier, Charles had vowed to return to the Taj Mahal with the woman he loved. Sadly, he never did.

Charles and Diana alone at the Taj Mahal

Later on that same India trip, Charles made another mistake. After winning a polo match, he turned away when Diana came to congratulate him — forgetting the traditional kiss.

Although he awkwardly returned for a cheek kiss, Diana later admitted she purposely turned away to humiliate him, just as she had felt humiliated before.

The kiss that wasn’t

If Diana wanted out of her unhappy marriage, working with Andrew Morton made sure of it.

In secret, Diana gave taped interviews that exposed all the royal secrets. The 1992 book “Diana: Her True Story” shocked the world, revealing her pain, struggles with mental health, and Charles’s long-standing relationship with Camilla.

Diana’s secret involvement in the book that would end her marriage

Six months after Diana’s explosive book was released, the royal couple traveled to South Korea — and looked absolutely miserable.

Charles joked that having two wives would have made public walkabouts easier. The crowd laughed, but Diana didn’t. Given that the world now knew about his real affair with Camilla, the joke was cruel and painful.

Charles jokes about having two wives – again and again and again

Six months after the explosive book Diana: Her True Story was released, Prince Charles and Princess Diana traveled to South Korea for an official royal visit.

The British press cruelly nicknamed them “the Glums” because they looked so unhappy. Making it worse, Charles kept joking that life would be easier if he had “two wives” covering both sides of the street during royal events. The crowd laughed, but Diana clearly didn’t. Considering his ongoing affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, the jokes were in very poor taste.

Breaking the news to the nation

Just one month later, Prime Minister John Major stood in Parliament and announced that Charles and Diana were officially separating.

He added that they had no plans to divorce immediately and would continue their royal duties separately. At the time of the announcement, Charles and Diana were already living in different parts of Britain — a clear sign of the emotional distance between them.

Trying, in vain, to save their marriage

Both Diana and Charles later admitted they had tried hard to fix their marriage.

In a 1995 interview, Diana spoke of her “deep, profound sadness” over the separation. Charles, a year earlier, claimed his relationship with Camilla didn’t become physical until his marriage with Diana had “irretrievably broken down.”

A three-person marriage was ‘a bit crowded’

In one of the most famous interviews in royal history, Diana spoke openly with BBC’s Martin Bashir in 1995.

She discussed everything — her eating disorder, her depression, and her broken marriage. When asked about Camilla’s role, Diana answered simply, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

The divorce is finalized

Although Charles and Diana separated in 1992, their divorce wasn’t finalized until 1996.

Diana received a $22.5 million divorce settlement. Charles also stopped paying her daily expenses. However, the bigger blow came when Diana lost her title of “Her Royal Highness.” She was allowed to keep the title of Princess of Wales, though.

The Royal Family takes one last swipe at Diana

Whether it was Queen Elizabeth’s idea or Charles’s, stripping Diana’s title felt cruel.

A queen of people’s hearts

In her famous BBC interview, Diana admitted she would never be “Queen of this country.”

Instead, she said, “I’d like to be a queen of people’s hearts.” And in the end, that’s exactly what she became — loved by millions around the world.

Charles finally gets what he always wanted

After Diana’s tragic death in 1997, Charles said he would never remarry. But in 2005, he married Camilla Parker Bowles — a moment that once would have been unthinkable for the royal family.

In 1936, a royal marriage to a divorcée caused a king to abdicate. In 2005, Charles’s marriage to Camilla was just another Saturday news item.

Will The Crown send it all tumbling down?

Netflix’s The Crown reignited public interest in Charles and Camilla’s past when Season 4 aired in 2020.

The show depicted their affair and Diana’s struggles with brutal honesty, reminding viewers of the pain the real people endured. Only time will tell how it affects their public image long term.

Princess Diana was a regular at Wimbledon

While Diana and Charles had very different interests, one place where Diana truly found joy was at Wimbledon.

She first attended the famous tennis tournament just before marrying Charles and became a regular visitor over the years — often seen laughing and enjoying herself with her friend Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.

Diana’s vibrant, joyful spirit stood in stark contrast to the sadness that often surrounded her royal marriage.

They had very different educational backgrounds

Prince Charles was the first heir to the throne to earn a university degree. Princess Diana, on the other hand, struggled in school.

She openly admitted failing her O-level exams twice. Diana even left her boarding school in England to study in Switzerland but returned within a month. However, Diana was very bright in other ways, showing passion for music, dance, sports, and hospitality.

Charles chose her ring from a catalogue

Given the royal family’s wealth, many expected Charles to propose with a historic heirloom.

Instead, he picked Diana’s famous sapphire engagement ring from a Garrard’s jewelry catalogue. Royal experts sometimes call it a “commoner’s ring,” highlighting the emotional gap between Charles and Diana from the very beginning.

Diana grew up around the royal family

While Diana didn’t have royal blood, she was no stranger to palace life.

Both her grandmothers served as ladies-in-waiting to the Queen. Diana often visited Sandringham Estate, where she played with Prince Edward and Prince Andrew during childhood.

Always ready for the camera

Understanding the media pressure, Diana invented the famous “cleavage bag” trick — using handbags to shield herself from paparazzi when stepping out of cars.

Her charm, fashion sense, and natural poise helped her become the beloved Princess of Hearts — though it made her growing distance from Charles even more obvious.

Diana’s revenge dress

After their separation, Diana made a bold fashion statement by wearing the famous Revenge Dress — a figure-hugging black dress that made headlines worldwide.

While Charles grew more traditional, Diana remained a global style icon, outshining the royal family with her glamour.

She didn’t enjoy vacationing at Sandringham

Despite her upbringing, Diana never fully adjusted to royal traditions.

She felt claustrophobic during holidays at Sandringham House and disliked the lack of privacy. Diana would often take long walks just to be alone.

Charles was not keen on confessing

By 1994, rumors about Charles and Camilla were impossible to ignore.

Charles finally admitted to cheating, but only after heavy pressure from his staff. This confession pushed Diana to do her famous BBC interview, where she spoke openly about their broken marriage.

They barely knew each other before marriage

Shockingly, Charles and Diana had met only 13 times before getting engaged.

Many experts believe their relationship was based more on attraction and royal expectations rather than true love.

First British citizen to marry heir apparent

Diana’s marriage to Charles was historic in many ways.

She was the first British-born citizen in over 300 years to marry a future king. Most previous royal marriages were about forming alliances, not love.

750 million people saw their wedding

Diana’s wedding was one of the most-watched events in history, with 750 million people tuning in from 74 countries.

The pressure from the global attention added strain to a relationship already filled with hidden cracks.

They spared no expenses on the wedding

Despite the modest engagement ring, their wedding was anything but simple.

The royal wedding cost an estimated $135 million (adjusted for inflation), making it one of the most expensive weddings in history.

Charles forgot to kiss her

Nerves were high during the royal wedding, and Charles even forgot to kiss Diana at the altar.

They later made up for it with their famous Balcony Kiss at Buckingham Palace, a tradition that future royal couples would follow.

Divorce isn’t easy

After the divorce, Diana often spent Christmas alone while her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, stayed with Charles at Sandringham.

Former staff members shared that Diana wasn’t a great cook, so they would prepare meals for her before leaving.

Diana really struggled with body image

Diana’s struggles with body image and bulimia were heartbreaking.

She once said she felt insecure about her nose and appearance. Hurtful comments, including Charles joking about her weight, triggered long-term eating disorders. Despite this, Diana worked hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle with customized diets, and her favorite dish was a tomato mousse.