Although King Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage ended, their mutual respect persisted.
Despite their divorce, the beloved Princess of Wales wished to convey that their affection was sincere, as reported by The UK Times.
Christopher Andersen, the author of “The Day Diana Died,” shared with Fox News Digital that the couple found common ground after their separation, as they were finally freed to pursue new relationships.
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Christopher Andersen asserts that Princess Diana and the former Prince Charles maintained a stronger friendship than a romantic relationship. (Princess Diana Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“Diana and Charles were perpetually embroiled in conflict over Camilla, the woman Charles truly loved,” Andersen stated. “Their explosive arguments became legendary, leading Diana to develop bulimia and attempt suicide multiple times… It always felt unbalanced from the start.”
“Their union was a spectacular disaster,” Andersen further remarked.
Charles’ affair with Camilla derailed his marriage to Diana, known as “the People’s Princess.” Despite their tumultuous split, mutual respect blossomed between the two. They were parents to two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
“Diana and Charles were perpetually embroiled in conflict over Camilla, the woman Charles truly loved.”
Princess Diana and former Prince Charles were parents to two sons: Prince Harry, left, and heir to the throne, Prince William. (Terry Fincher/Getty Images)
Ingrid Seward, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, noted that Diana wanted the world to recognize there had been real love between her and Charles.
“Before her death, Diana expressed to me her wish that people could witness the love letters she had from Charles,” Seward shared, as referenced by The Times.
“She genuinely wanted the world to understand that she loved Charles, and he loved her,” Seward elaborated. “She felt it was vital for their sons to know this too. They truly shared a deep love at one time.”
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Ingrid Seward noted, “She wanted everyone to know how much she loved Charles, and he loved back. That was significant for her and their sons to understand. Their early days were filled with love.” (Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
Seward indicated that Diana spoke of those letters shortly before her death. Diana desired for “the initial phases of her romance with Charles to be accurately portrayed.”
The specific years during which Diana received those letters remain uncertain, as does their current location. Some personal letters from Diana during her divorce auctioned off recently fetched almost $170,000, according to People magazine.
Diana and Charles wed in 1981 after a brief courtship; she revealed they met only 13 times before his proposal, according to People magazine. Their first child, William, was born in 1982, and Harry followed in 1984.
Charles proposed to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. (Getty Images)
Andersen noted that after their separation in 1992, the atmosphere between Charles and Diana shifted positively. Their divorce was finalized in 1996.
“Post-split, without the façade of a married couple, both Charles and Diana could express their true selves,” Andersen remarked. “Diana was incredibly happy with her new partner Dodi Fayed, though she had no plans to marry him. Charles was also set free to wed Camilla.”
Prince Charles and Princess Diana ended their marriage in 1992. (Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
Andersen emphasized, “Neither Charles nor Diana expressed any desire to rekindle their romance. In fact, as ex-spouses, they nurtured a warm and caring relationship, primarily because of their shared concern for William and Harry.”
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Princess Diana is seen here with Camilla Parker-Bowles, the long-standing companion of her ex-husband, the former Prince Charles. (PA Images via Getty Images)
According to Andersen, Diana gradually accepted Charles’ affection for Camilla.
“Following their divorce, Diana developed a mild recognition of Charles’ love for Camilla,” Andersen noted. “‘When you experience a profound love, it’s invaluable,’ she advised William. ‘It’s crucial to cherish it.’ In the final months of her life, the bond between her and Charles intensified, even as she and Dodi Fayed captured media attention on a yacht in the Mediterranean.”
Christopher Andersen authored “The Day Diana Died.” (Blake Publishing)
“When Gianni Versace was tragically murdered in July 1997, Charles immediately reached out to Diana, acknowledging her close connection with the renowned designer, expressing his condolences,” Andersen related. “‘It truly matters to me,’ Diana confided to her close friend Lucia Flecha de Lima, ‘to feel the bitter feelings between us have dissipated.’”
Princess Diana and her son Prince William are shown on a holiday in St. Tropez, shortly before the tragic car crash that took her life in Paris on August 31, 1997. (Michel Dufour/WireImage/Getty Images)
Shortly thereafter, Charles invited Diana and their sons William and Harry to join him aboard the royal yacht Britannia on its final voyage before retirement. Diana felt pleasantly surprised by this gesture, which was the last correspondence between them.
According to Andersen, Charles composed a letter to Diana that she never got to receive.
“On August 30, 1997, Charles wrote a letter starting with ‘My Dearest Diana,’ advising her about Harry’s education and whether he should repeat a year before joining William at Eton,” Andersen stated.
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The future King concluded his note with ‘Lots of Love, Charles,’ forwarding it through his secretary to ensure Diana could find it upon returning from her holiday. (John Stillwell – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
Tragically, the following day, Diana lost her life in a car accident in Paris at the age of 36, shocking the world and her ex-husband.
“It hit Charles particularly hard,” Andersen recounted. “She was the mother of his children. When he went to Paris to handle Diana’s remains, he was devastated upon seeing her body, reeling back as if struck and nearly fainting.”
At Westminster Abbey, Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Earl Spencer, and Prince William mourn during Diana’s funeral on September 6, 1997. (Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“Following Diana’s passing, it was Charles who stepped up against Queen Elizabeth II and palace officials, advocating for her to receive a royal funeral,” Andersen explained. “They initially opposed it as Diana had lost her royal title after the divorce.”
Diana’s funeral was a ceremonial event attended by 2,000 guests and viewed by over 2 billion people globally.
Andersen suggested that Charles might have experienced some regret regarding his marriage to Diana over the years.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales share a moment on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day. They were married on July 29, 1981, and their divorce was finalized 15 years later. (Terry Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
“To appreciate the heartbreak of Diana’s marriage to Charles, one must go back to the very beginning,” Andersen explained. “Similar to how Kate Middleton and countless young girls dream of marrying Prince William, Diana and her peers envisioned marrying [the former] Prince Charles. At just 19, Diana was engaged to Charles, but it was evident from the outset he still had feelings for Camilla.
“There were three people in this marriage, making it rather cramped,” Princess Diana famously remarked. (Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
“In the immediate aftermath of their engagement interview, Charles uttered his infamous ‘whatever ‘in love’ means’ when questioned about his feelings for Diana. Conversely, Diana was quick to convey her love for him. While Charles may have penned affectionate words to Diana, their marriage was essentially troubled from the outset.”
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“During a brief phase amidst Diana’s second pregnancy, they genuinely bonded,” Andersen recounted. “Diana observed that it was the closest they had ever become and likely ever would, but the moment Harry was born, it unraveled. Charles had wished for a girl and reacted by exclaiming, ‘Oh, God, it’s a boy. And he even has red hair.’ At that moment, Diana felt something inside her shut down.”
Prince Harry was born on September 15, 1984. (John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty Images)
Charles likely regrets allowing his father Prince Philip to influence his decision to marry Diana, Andersen noted—though doing so ensured the existence of William and Harry. Ultimately, the unfortunate reality is that Camilla had always been the love of Charles’ life, a fact Diana was aware of.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned on May 06, 2023, in London. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Charles wed Camilla in 2005. He ascended the throne following his mother’s passing in 2022, with Camilla being crowned queen in 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
