After a whirlwind romance, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer married in a fairy-tale 1981 Royal Wedding. However, after welcoming Prince William and Prince Harry, their marriage became a nightmare, with the Prince and Princess of Wales cheating on each other.
Diana famously said there were three people in their marriage. To hear all about the royal drama and the intrusion of a third party, keep reading!
A Prince Is Born
Prince Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor was born in Buckingham Palace on November 14th, 1948, during the reign of his grandfather, King George VI. When the reigning king passed away in 1952, his eldest daughter became Queen Elizabeth II, and Charles became first in line to the throne.
Charles became Prince of Wales in 1958, as most heirs apparent had been since Edward II in 1301. He was not invested until he was 21 in an elaborate ceremony at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.
Diana’s Early Years
Diana Frances Spencer was born on Sandringham Estate on July 1st, 1961. Her parents were John and Frances Spencer, Viscount and Viscountess of Althorp. She was born into nobility, and all four of Diana’s grandmothers were ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Diana was also a distant cousin of legendary British wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
Around the time Prince Charles became Prince of Wales, Diana’s parents divorced, although she continued to live at Sandringham Estate, which her noble family leased from the royal family.
Bachelor Charles
Prince Charles joined the Royal Navy and, believe it or not, was a bit of a ladies’ man. He dated Georgiana Russell, the daughter of Sir John Russell, who was the British ambassador to Spain, Lady Jane Wellesley, the daughter of the 8th Duke of Wellington, Davina Sheffield, and Camilla Rosemary Shand, whom he was besotted with.
Camilla was the love of his life, but he returned from a naval posting to find out she had married Andrew Parker Bowles, becoming Camilla Parker Bowles. More on her later…
princess diana in bikini
Princess Diana was photographed on multiple occasions in chic swimwear, capturing the attention and admiration of the public and media alike. The image you’ve shared shows her wearing a colorful, patterned bandeau bikini, reflecting her personal style that often blended elegance with casual ease.
This particular photo was likely taken during one of her many vacations, a time when the Princess could step away from the public eye and enjoy private moments, although such privacy was often fleeting due to her immense popularity and the ever-present paparazzi.
Prince Charles Meets Lady Diana
In November 1977, 29-year-old Charles was dating Diana’s older sister, Lady Sarah Spencer. When he visited Sarah at their Althorp Estate family home, he was rather smitten with Diana, a 16-year-old schoolgirl.
Diana later admitted, “We sort of met in a plowed field […] I made a lot of noise, and he liked that, and he came up to me after dinner, and we had a big dance.” Charles joked, “I remember thinking what a very jolly, amusing, and attractive 16-year-old she was.”
Someone to Watch Over You
In 1979, the IRA assassinated Prince Charles’ favorite uncle, Lord Mountbatten, by blowing up his boat in Ireland. The following year, Charles and Diana met at a house party. Sitting next to him on a bale of hay, she said, “You looked so sad when you walked up the aisle at Lord Mountbatten’s funeral.”
She continued, “It was the most tragic thing I’ve ever seen. My heart bled for you when I watched. I thought, ‘It’s wrong, you’re lonely, you should be with somebody to look after you.’”
The Balmoral Test
Diana’s compassion struck Charles, but she later confessed, “The next minute, he leaped on me, practically. It was strange. I thought, ‘This isn’t very cool…’ but I had nothing to go by because I’d never had a boyfriend.”
Despite this odd encounter, Charles embarked upon a whirlwind romance with this demure, kind, compassionate, down-to-earth woman who loved to dance. Charles took his new girlfriend to Balmoral to introduce Diana to The Queen. As shown in The Crown, Diana passed The Balmoral Test with flying colors.
A Royal Engagement
Prince Philip wrote to his son, advising Charles to either propose or end things to protect Diana’s reputation. Charles took this as an order from his father. So, on February 6th, 1981, Charles invited Diana to Windsor Castle and asked her to marry him.
On February 24th, they announced their engagement to the world. When an interviewer asked if they were in love, Diana answered, “Of course.” Then, Charles added, “Whatever ‘in love’ means.” Diana later said, “What a strange answer. It traumatized me.”
Eve of the Wedding
A grand Royal Wedding was planned for the height of the summer of 1981, and Britain rejoiced. Yet, even after he was engaged to the young, beautiful, shy Lady Diana Spencer, Charles became closer to his ex-girlfriend, Camilla Parker Bowles.
On the eve of the Royal Wedding, Charles allegedly spoke to Camilla on the phone and told Diana he “didn’t love her.” Diana was so upset at Charles’ coldheartedness toward her that she almost canceled the wedding.
The Royal Wedding
Nevertheless, Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married in a fairy-tale wedding at St. Paul’s Cathedral on July 29th, 1981. Six hundred thousand adoring, flag-waving spectators lined London’s streets while 750 million watched on TV.
Britain celebrated the auspicious day with street parties, eating cake off trellis tables under red, white, and blue bunting, and the Red Arrows RAF fighter jet plane display team buzzed overhead fire beacons were lit. The nation had their future king and queen, Hurrah for Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales!
Unwelcome Guest
One person not watching on TV was Camilla. Diana knew Charles’s close relationship with Camilla and that she was at the wedding. Diana later explained, “I knew she was in there, of course. I looked for her. So, walking down the aisle, I spotted Camilla, pale gray, veiled pillbox hat… To this day, you know — vivid memory.”
A decade later, Diana described her wedding day as the worst day of her life — “I felt I was a lamb to the slaughter. And I knew it.”
