What Princess Diana Told Queen Elizabeth Before Her Divorce in Her Last Attempt to Save Her Marriage
It is no secret that Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s relationship hit some rough patches before they divorced in 1996. Their relationship seemed to be riddled with lies, deception, and trust issues from the very beginning. Princess Diana had even said before that she had a terrible case of cold feet before her big day and felt as if she couldn’t go through with the wedding.
Even though their marriage had some very obvious problems, Diana had reportedly done everything she could to save her marriage. She even went to her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, for advice. So, what did Princess Diana say to the queen in her last attempt to save her marriage? Keep reading to find out.
Extramarital affairs for kings have always been common
Since the dawn of time, it has seemed to be an acceptable part of the royal life for kings to have extramarital affairs. In fact, back a few centuries ago, a King was considered to be weak if he did not have a few different mistresses waiting for him in his bed chamber.
In this day and age, cheating on your spouse (even if you are a royal) is frowned upon by society. However, apparently, when it comes to the royals, old habits die hard. There have been several members of the royal family today that have been known to cheat on their spouses. And Prince Charles is no exception.
When he reconnected with his former flame in 1987 – only three years after Prince Harry was born – a steamy, decade-long affair was quick to ensue. Charles had tried to keep the affair a secret from Diana at first, but it didn’t take her long to figure it out.
Once she knew about the affair, there wasn’t much she could do about it. When she had confronted her husband about his extramarital affair, he had allegedly told her that he was not going “to be the only Prince of Wales who never had a mistress.”
Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage was ‘a bit crowded’
Princess Diana had no luck in getting the affair to stop when she talked to her husband about it. So, she decided to have a heart-to-heart with Camilla. She had reportedly shown up uninvited to a birthday party for Camilla’s sister. Diana walked right up to Camilla and said, “I know what’s going on between you and Charles, and I just want you to know that.”
Instead of denying the affair, Camilla responded by saying, “You’ve got all the men in the world fall in love with you and you’ve got two beautiful children, what more do you want?” Diana had said that she calmly told Camilla, “I want my husband.”
After that confrontation, the Prince of Wales reportedly wanted nothing more to do with Diana. They stayed together for a few more years before they became legally separated. However, Diana said their relationship started to rapidly deteriorate after she confronted Camilla.
Diana later said in an interview that her marriage had failed because there were three people in her marriage, “so it was a bit crowded.”
Princess went to Queen Elizabeth for one last attempt at saving her marriage
Before Princess Diana tragically lost her life, she had a tell-all conversation that was recorded. The series of recordings were featured in a documentary titled Diana: In Her Own Words. In one of the tapes, Princess Diana explains what happened when she realized that her marriage was over.
“So I went to the top lady [Queen Elizabeth II], sobbing,” the recording revealed Diana said. “And I said ‘What do I do? I am coming to you, what do I do?’ And she said, ‘I don’t know what you should do.’ And that was it. And that was help.”
It has been said that the queen was not happy about Prince Charles’ affair with Camilla. She may not have liked what was happening with Diana Charles’ marriage. However, she didn’t know of any way to fix it.
Ultimately, Prince Charles and Princess Diana were separated for four years. Then, according to Diana’s butler, Diana received a letter from the queen that read, “I have consulted with the Archbishop of Canterbury and with the prime minister and, of course, with Charles, and we have decided that the best course for you is divorce.”
Princess Diana was reportedly angry that she did not have a say as to whether she wanted the divorce or not. Her and Charles’ divorce was finalized on August 28, 1996. She had eventually moved on from her relationship with Charles. Years later, she began dating a man named Dodi Fayed. They both tragically lost their lives in a car accident.
