The Real Meaning Behind King Charles' 'Whatever In Love Means' Comment Revealed by Former Royal Aide
EXCLUSIVE: Former press secretary Dickie Arbiter finally explains Charles' infamous line from his engagement interview with Princess Diana.
ON A CLOUDY day in 1981, King Charles and Princess Diana gave their engagement interview. While there was much to remember from the day, including the young bride showing off her now-iconic sapphire ring, what eventually stayed in public memory was Charles’ frosty response to whether he was in love with his soon-to-be wife. The Royal Observer’s Associate Editor Joshua Rom dissected the explosive moment with former palace spokesperson Dickie Arbiter amid the ongoing media storm.
During their engagement interview, Charles and Diana were asked if they were in love, a seemingly harmless question for a couple slated to get married in a few months. And while Diana replied, “Of course”, it was her fiancé’s response that raised eyebrows. “Whatever 'in love' means,” he awkwardly said. In hindsight, the answer may seem like a foreshadowing of the turmoil to follow. But according to Arbiter, who handled the couple in the run-up to their royal wedding, the comment may have been far more innocent than it appeared. Referencing his earlier reporting on the comment, Rom asked the former press secretary whether it was simply the now-monarch's way of "batting off" a line of personal questioning he wasn't used to.
Agreeing, Arbiter mentioned that Charles indeed “wasn’t used to” questioning of such a personal nature. “He was taught that do not show emotions, the royals don't show emotions, and you very rarely saw the Queen show any emotion,” he said. And it was his royal upbringing that put him in a spot when asked about his romantic feelings.
The former palace spokesperson mentioned that the then-Prince of Wales was not prepared to answer such a question: “The royals were brought up not to express emotion and not to show emotion,” he told Rom. “His repost ‘whatever in love means’ was his sort of his way of, as you rightly say, batting off something that he was totally unprepared for.” Watch the full video here!
Whatever the reason, the comment must have left a bad taste and is still carved into royal history as the moment that marked the disaster to come. It is unclear whether their parents’ awkward moment was the cause or whether the question was considered passé, but Prince William and Prince Harry were not asked if they were in love with their soon-to-be brides during their engagement interviews in 2010 and 2017, respectively.
While memories of Charles and Diana’s troubled marriage and alleged infidelities still haunt the monarchy to this day, in recent years there has been a reluctant acceptance of letting bygones be bygones. But the King has found himself standing in the middle of another scandal once again, 30 years after his divorce, due to Charles Spencer’s bombshell claims in his new book about Diana. Judging by the reception of the published excerpts, the book that is set to be released this week is bound to make waves, and not the kind one can lazily sail over.
