Charles III and Lady Di: what relationship did they have when the princess died?

• In 1992, Prince Charles and Princess Diana separated.
• Their tumultuous divorce had been much talked about

• Had relations between the ex-spouses calmed down over time?

The divorce from Charles III and Princess Diana had shaken the crown of England. Married in July 1981, the couple separated in 1992. A divorce that was as tumultuous as their relationship. It ended up being formalized in 1996. Princess Diana had also mentioned the causes of this rupture during a sensational interview granted to the BBC: “Well, there were three of us in this wedding so it was a bit crowded“, had dropped Lady Di. A phrase most likely referring to the affair of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Charles III, who has just acceded to the throne after the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, has never mentioned his ex-wife publicly. When the latter died in a tragic car accident on August 31, 1997 in Paris, he was very present for his two sons, Princes William and Harry. “He never spoke of Diana in public since her death. No doubt he feels mixed feelings, liberation and nostalgia, regrets and relief. The divorce, however, had done them the greatest good“says Michel Faure, author of the book Charles III, King of Englandreleased by Éditions de l’Archipel in March 2021. And according to the author, the relationship between the two ex-spouses had calmed down a bit before the death of the princess of hearts: “Diana and he maintained a relationship that has become quite friendly when they met in the context of shared custody of the children.”

Diana on Charles III: “He looks sad”

On the other hand, Princess Diana has several times mentioned their couple in the media. When she met the one who was still Prince Charles at the time, she was only 16 years old. The latter was dating his older sister, Sarah Spencer. “My first impression was ‘Oh my God, he looks sad'”had told the Princess of Wales, as recalled by a documentary by Restricted zone titled Diana Confidential, which aired last August. “He came with his Labrador, he went out with my big sister, Sarah, and she was on his back all the time. I was a little round and I remember that I was not very comfortable. I was talking loud and I was happy and I think he liked it. But I found that he had a crazy charm.

It would be Charles who tried to seduce the young girl. And the latter was not immediately receptive to the advances of the future king: “At dinner, I was sitting next to him and he was kind of insistent, I thought that was not very cool, men are not supposed to be so explicit. The first night we sat on a haystack barbecue. There really he jumped on me. I was confused, I didn’t know what to do anymore.” Diana ended up falling in love with Charles, however. The latter passed the ring on his finger in 1981 in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. In 1982, the princess gave birth to Williamthen to Harry in 1984. But the relationship between Charles and Diana seemed doomed since it would seem that Charles III would always have been in love with… Camilla Parker-Bowles. In 2005, Prince Charles will also end up marrying his lifelong love for a second time.