Queen Elizabeth Snapped and Forced Charles to Divorce Diana, Says Former Butler
Princess Diana had planned to stay legally married to Charles for the sake of her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, had it not been for the Queen.
Princess Diana had a messy marriage with now-King Charles. The late Princess of Wales married 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 that Queen Elizabeth 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 reportedly Diana’s BBC interview, where she opened up about Charles’s affair with Bowles.
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."
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.'"
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 rebuilding Bowles' public image, the two eventually tied the knot in a 2005 royal ceremony, blessed by the late Queen.
Diana’s personal trainer, Jeni Rivett, also echoed Burrell's words. 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.”
