Royal Author Unveils the Surprising Secret Diana Kept From Charles Before Harry Was Born
Princess Diana reportedly kept Harry’s gender a secret from Charles before the birth.
King Charles and Princess Diana had a very complicated relationship from the very beginning of their marriage. After tying the knot in 1981 at St. Paul’s Cathedral to the cheers of the royal family and fans worldwide, their turbulent union ultimately ended in divorce in 1996 following 15 complicated years and a prior period of separation. The strain in their relationship was clearly visible on various occasions, including the fact that Diana kept a rather important detail from him just before Prince Harry was born. Though, the official announcement of the prince's birth was ultimately met with a lot of love from ardent fans.
In fact, many fans stood outside St. Mary's Hospital in 1984 when Harry was born, waiting to celebrate the good news with the Princess. But this undeniably special moment also came with an unexpected revelation. While the then-Prince Charles was sincerely elated, describing the news as “absolutely marvellous,” the birth of another son was actually a surprise to him—whereas the princess was apparently already aware of it. This detail was revealed by Ingrid Seward in her latest book, Catherine & Diana, according to Woman & Home.
While discussing this moment in detail, Seward alleged, “Oddly, despite the closeness she had felt with Charles before Harry's birth, she never told him she was expecting another boy.” But that’s not all; Seward also explained why Diana chose to keep this fact to herself, writing, “She knew he longed for a daughter, and her extreme vulnerability made her keep this piece of intimate information from him.” Furthermore, Seward noted that Harry's birth ultimately “ended one of the brief happy periods in the couple's marriage.”
Beyond this, Seward also touched upon that brief “happy phase” in their marriage, explaining that Diana felt closest to the then-Prince of Wales just before Harry was born. However, that dynamic changed almost overnight. As the author detailed, “And then as suddenly as Harry was born, it just went bang, our marriage. The whole thing went down the drain. He wanted two children, and he wanted a girl.” Prince Harry also reflected on this moment in his memoir, Spare, sharing how his father famously joked right after his birth that everything was “wonderful” because Diana had now given him “an heir and a spare.”
