The Heartbreaking Reason Princess Diana Almost Called off Her Wedding to Prince Charles
Princess Diana and Prince Charles looked like the perfect couple when they walked down the aisle on July 29, 1981. However, looks can be deceiving. Behind the scenes, the young couple were having problems most people were unaware of. In fact, Diana almost called off the wedding.
Here’s the heartbreaking reason why Princess Diana almost called off her wedding to Prince Charles.
Hard to hide
Most expect members of the British royal family to smile, wave, and look pleasant. However, Princess Diana had trouble hiding the hurt she reportedly experienced while married to Prince Charles. Much of the drama in their relationship stemmed from Prince Charles’ relationship with mistress Camilla Parker Bowles.
A sad day
Princess Diana reportedly said her wedding day was the worst day of her life. Diana also said she wished she would have been able to go back in time and re-write her life. For her, the best outcome would have been if Charles and Camilla took off and never returned. “If I could write my own script I would have my husband go away with his woman and never come back,” said Diana, according to The Independent.
A hurtful discovery
Prince Charles’ attempts to hide his relationship with Camilla weren’t successful. According to recordings of an interview given by Diana that were released by National Geographic, Charles had a special gift made for Camilla. Much to Diana’s dismay, she discovered the gift:
I was still too immature to understand all the messages coming my way. And then someone in his office told me that my husband has had a bracelet made for her. I walked into this man’s office one day and I said, ‘Ooh, what’s in that parcel?’ And he said ‘Oh, you shouldn’t look at that’. So, I opened it and there was the bracelet. I was devastated, and I said ‘Well, he’s going to give it to her tonight’. So, rage, rage, rage. You know, ‘Why can’t you be honest with me?’ But no, absolutely cut me dead.
This is what made Princess Diana almost call off the wedding
In Diana’s recordings, she said the “most awful thing” happened before Prince Charles went on a five-week royal tour in March 1981. Once Charles left, Diana was seen crying uncontrollably. Some thought she was distraught over being separated from her soon-to-be husband. However, the National Geographic archive recording revealed years later her tears were not related to his departure. Rather, just moments before, the princess had discovered Charles was having an affair. According to the recordings, this is what Diana said:
You may recall seeing a picture of me sobbing in a red coat when he went off on his airplane. That had nothing to do with him going. The most awful thing had happened before he went. I was in his study talking to him about his trip. The telephone rang, it was Camilla. Just before he was going for five weeks. So, I thought, ‘Shall I be nice or shall I just sit here?’ So, I thought I’d be nice, so I left them to it. And it just broke my heart …
Their separation and divorce
Prince Charles thought he could learn to love Diana, according to the book Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life, by author Sally Bedell Smith. However, this didn’t happen, as Charles was still communicating with Camilla. During a controversial interview in 1995 with journalist Martin Bashir, Diana later admitted both she and Charles had affairs. After a four-year separation, Charles and Diana divorced on August 28, 1996.
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