King Charles Revealed How He Actually Felt About His Wedding To Princess Diana
Calling all monarchs, royals, and nobles—it's time to get your crowns polished and you're bubbly on ice! Join us for an unforgettable stroll through the pages of history – one that brought an entire generation to the edge of their seats, as they witnessed the union between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
Yes, that's right—we are taking you back in time to 1981—the year of the grandest royal wedding of them all! Now armed with details provided by esteemed royal biographer Penny Juror, let us take a deep dive into every momentous happenstance of this extravagant event. So dust off those tiaras and prepare yourself; it is about to be a regal ride down memory lane. Keep reading to see what he has to say.
A Quarter Of A Million People Watched The Wedding
The streets were jam-packed with adoring fans, all eagerly hoping for a glimpse of the royal couple on their big day. And let's not forget the 750 million people worldwide who tuned in to witness the grand event on television.
It was a moment that will go down in history as one of the most memorable moments for the British royal family. But, as with all fairy tales, behind closed doors, the story of Charles and Diana's marriage was far from a happily-ever-after ending, despite what the world may have thought.
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Has Been In The Public Eye Since Birth
Born on November 14, 1948, Charles Philip Arthur George has been a familiar face on the global stage. As the first-born son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and holding the title of Prince of Wales for over six decades, Charles has now taken the throne as King of the United Kingdom, following in the footsteps of his mother who had been ruling since he was just a young boy of three.
Diana Was The Second Choice
Throughout his life, King Charles has had a number of romantic relationships. Some of his notable love interests include Lady Jane Wellesley, the daughter of the eighth Duke of Wellington, Georgia Russell, daughter of the British Ambassador to Spain, and Lady Sarah Spencer, Princess Diana's elder sister. Despite these relationships, none of them seemed to evolve into something serious.
Camilla Was A Friend Of A Friend
Charles was introduced to Camilla Shand through a mutual friend, Lucia Santa Cruz. At the time of their introduction, Camilla was in a relationship with Andrew Parker Bowles, a British Army officer and polo player who had played on the same team as Charles in the past. Interestingly enough, Andrew Parker Bowles also had a romantic relationship with Charles' younger sister, Princess Anne.
Family Members Love To Meddle
Charles' great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, took a keen interest in Charles' romantic choices and even gave him advice on the matter. He advised Charles to "sow his wild oats" and have multiple affairs before settling down, but to choose a suitable, attractive, and sweet-natured girl for a wife before she met anyone else she might fall for.
Lord Mountbatten didn't believe Camilla Shand was aristocratic enough to be the Prince of Wales's wife. Charles and Camilla's relationship would eventually come to an end as she reconciled with her previous partner, Andrew Parker Bowles, and the two of them got married in 1973.
Tragic Reason For No Engagement
Concerned about Charles' choice of romantic partners, Lord Mountbatten tried to persuade Charles to consider marrying his granddaughter, Amanda Knatchbull. Tragically, Lord Mountbatten was killed by the IRA and after the devastating loss, Charles proposed to Amanda.
However, Amanda's grandfather, grandmother, and younger brother Nicholas all died in the same IRA attack. Understandably, Amanda declined the proposal, as she feared losing more loved ones if she became a member of such a high-profile family.
After Meeting Lady Diana Spencer, Charles Viewed Her As A Suitable Bride
Finally, in 1977, it appeared as if Charles had finally met his match in Lady Diana Spencer. They met when Diana was just 16, and Charles had dated her older sister, Lady Sarah.
As soon as the pair started going out, their relationship received a ton of media recognition. After four years of dating, Charles asked Diana to marry him in February 1981. They would wed the following year at St. Paul's Cathedral.
In Diana: Her True Story, She Revealed Something About Charles
According to a book written by the UK journalist Andrew Morton, called Diana: Her True Story, Charles had been having an affair with Camilla for quite some time. Later on, the then Prince would confirm the bombshell news.
In 1992, the couple announced that they would be separating. After years of a media frenzy and much public scrutiny, their divorce was finalized on August 28, 1996. Diana lost the official title "Her Royal Highness" and was instead called Diana, Princess of Wales.
Diana Tragically Died In A Car Crash, And Charles Remarried Years Later
The world was stunned when on August 31, 1997, Diana was fatally injured in a car accident in Paris. The vehicle she was in had been fleeing the paparazzi when the accident happened.
In 2005, Charles married once again, this time to his old flame, Camilla. In the years since, one claim has emerged about the King. Before he exchanged his vows to Diana all those years earlier, it's been said, he was already having second thoughts about marrying her after all.
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Penny Junor Made The Assertion In The Duchess: The Untold Story
Penny Junor (pictured) has penned numerous books about the royal family. She made the surprising assertation about Charles in her book, which is a biography about Camilla.
After spending a year trailing Camilla and speaking to her friends, Junor went ahead to reveal what allegedly went down before Charles' first wedding. This event, if true, is one that both parties involved likely would have preferred kept a secret from the world.
Charles Broke Down The Night Before The Wedding
According to Junor, the then Prince of Wales broke down the night before tying the knot with Diana.
The explosive book even alleged that he had been witnessing the large and eager crowds gathering along The Mall as he watched from a window at Buckingham Palace.
Diana Also Revealed How She Felt
"The night before the wedding, I was very, very calm, deathly calm." This are the words that Diana told Andrew Morton and were revealed in his tell-all book Diana: Her True Story.
Diana added more to her comment, saying, "I felt I was a lamb to the slaughter. I knew it and couldn't do anything about it." Despite this, the lavish royal wedding would go on. It simply had to.
Junor Additionally Claimed That Charles Had Pleaded With Camilla Not To Marry Her First Husband
According to Penny Junor, King Charles was so in love with Camilla that he went so far as writing her a letter begging her not to marry Andrew Parker Bowels. He stated that it was a shame "such a blissful, peaceful, and mutually happy relationship" like the one he and Camilla shared should have to come to an end.
Despite Charles imploring Camilla to call off the wedding, she still went ahead with it.
Junor Alleged That Parker Bowles Wasn't That Faithful Either
While Charles and Camilla's affair was widely reported, Andrew Parker Bowles was allegedly unfaithful to his bride. Supposedly, Charles acted as a confidante to Camilla during that time by sending his former girlfriend letters and chatting over the phone.
Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles would go on to separate in 1995. Over the course of their marriage, they had two children together, a son and a daughter.
Charles And Camilla's Relationship Faced Much Scrutiny
Despite the fact that Diana was deceased and that Camilla had divorced from her first husband, the British public was not that satisfied with Charles and his new wife when they tied the knot in 2005.
Camilla opened up and discussed how tough the time had been on her. After all, the intense scrutiny of everyone involved in the royal family, by the public and the media alike, is well-documented.
Camilla Has Discussed How Difficult She Found The Media To Be
After the intense media storm that surrounded her after the affair was out in the open, Camilla said this to the Daily Mail. "It was horrid. It was a deeply unpleasant time and I wouldn't want to put my worst enemy through it."
She added, "I couldn't have survived it without my family." Fortunately for Camilla, her children and other close friends were supportive of her new marriage to Charles.
Junor's Book Reveals Three Stages Of Charles and Camilla's Romance Over Several Decades
The stages include the period before either got married. The next phase was after Camilla welcomed her second child and ahead of Charles and Diana's engagement. And finally, the third phase described by Junor was after Charles and Diana's marriage problems had begun.
The biography offers an inside look at the unconventional love story, but not everyone believed it was so innocently romantic. In fact, when the Daily Mail published an excerpt of the book, there were some commenters who didn't offer much sympathy for Camilla.
Some Negative Comments From The Public
Junot has stated that she believes Camilla was "not a natural adulteress," but simply fell in love with Charles and truly didn't mean to hurt anyone else in the process.
Not everyone agreed with this assessment of Camilla's situation. "Please do not try and pass her off as hard done by," wrote one person after reading the book excerpt. "[Camilla] knew exactly what she was doing while Charles was married to Diana."
Another Scathing Comment
"All Diana wanted was her fairytale wedding to her Prince Charming. Probably every young girl's dream," another person wrote. "For this, she paid the ultimate price."
Essentially, this royal-watcher was commenting on the fact that Diana merely wanted to live her childhood dream. Instead, she suffered through an ugly reality and heartache that nobody ever could have seen coming while Camilla ended up with the love of her life, King Charles. King Charles |||, and Queen Camilla now sit at the head of the royal family and handled the transition smoothly with family by their sides.
