Former Butler Reveals Why Queen Elizabeth Snapped and Forced Charles to Divorce Diana: "She Wanted A..."
Princess Diana had a messy marriage life with now-King Charles III. The late Princess of Wales wedded into the British royal family in 1981, but her joy was short-lived as Charles had an elaborate affair with longtime flame, Camilla Parker Bowles. Leaked private tapes once featured Diana revealing that Charles had allegedly asserted, "I refuse to be the only Prince of Wales who never had a mistress." The royal couple decided to stay married as divorce was not an option given Queen Elizabeth II was the head of the Church of England. Surprisingly, in the years to follow it was the Queen herself who strongly advised them to file for divorce. For the Queen, the final straw was Diana’s BBC interview where she opened up about Charles’ affair with Bowles, as per Cheatsheet.
Interview with Princess Diana about how she will never be Queen. 1995 pic.twitter.com/6Mff2GRSgl
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In 1995, Diana sat down, and famously said, “Well, there were three of us in the marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” Diana, however, insisted that she planned to remain in the royal household for the sake of her children, Prince William and Prince Harry. She never intended to divorce Charles but also couldn't see herself ever becoming queen. Paul Burrell, who served as a personal attendant to the Queen and later personal assistant to Diana, revealed, "It is a myth the Princess wanted a divorce...She wanted a separation."
on this day in 1996, princess diana’s divorce to prince charles was finalized pic.twitter.com/nCW4c4p92d
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However, the Queen, whose life's mission was to protect the monarchy, was sure that it couldn't go on. Displeased, she wrote a formal letter ordering Charles and Diana to 'be done' with it and put an end to all the public drama. Abiding by the same, the royals officially divorced on August 28, 1996. Burrel claimed, that Diana at the time showed him the letter. "You should see this. Look at this," Burrell alleged she said. "It was a letter with the royal crest of Windsor Castle...It was in the Queen's hand and her writing was, '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.'"
Charles and Diana engaged in a public war of words as their marriage was falling apart. It got so bad that the Queen, who famously opposed divorce, ordered them to split. #TheWindsorsCNN, returns Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT pic.twitter.com/LIqCf77K1w
— CNN (@CNN) September 2, 2020
In response, Diana reportedly said, "That's rich! They get to decide whether I divorce." A year after her divorce Diana lost her life in Paris. In the aftermath of the same, Charles and Bowles had to hold back on going public with their relationship. After years of re-building Bowles' public image, the two eventually tied the knot in a 2005 royal ceremony, blessed by the late Queen.
The then Prince of Wales leaving St George's Chapel in Windsor after marrying Camilla on April 9th 2005. Queen Elizabeth Il attended their religious blessing but was not present at their civil ceremony. The late Queen told guests in a speech at the wedding reception that her son… pic.twitter.com/zlgCbI9xot
— Judith Ince (@judithin77) September 8, 2023
Diana’s personal trainer, Jeni Rivett, also echoed Burrell's words. As reported by Newsweek, she argued that despite the spiraling marriage, Diana was unwilling to be legally separated because of her childhood. Raised by divorced parents, Diana was aware of the challenges and the mental toll it takes on children. “She loved Charles…she was sad about it. She wanted to be a loving wife.”