That is why Princess Diana did not want to divorce Prince Charles.
The many dramas that mark or spoil the British royal family are staples of tabloid fodder: 'Megxit', anyone? But there is a very British scandal that more or less cemented the decades-long tradition of scrutiny of the Windsors' family stories of success and woe.
The 1996 divorce of Charles, Prince of Wales, from his wife, Princess Diana (known prior to their marriage as Lady Diana Spencer) generated unprecedented press coverage and shaped the way we think about the royal family. to this day. From a seemingly modern fairytale wedding to an ugly separation and divorce, and finally to Diana's tragic death in 1997, the couple wowed the world.
Although many have since chosen to divorce Diana from Charles as the beloved People's Princess escaping the restrictive control of the royal family, some say that she actually did not want a divorce at all. So what is the story behind the story? Let's find out.
Princess Diana may have feared that she would lose her children.
In the 2017 documentary Diana: In Her Own Words, director and filmmaker Kevin Sim used images and audio recordings of the late Princess Diana to try to piece together her life and her version of her story. In the document, an interviewee, British journalist and television personality Jennie Bond, claims that Diana told her privately that she had no interest in divorcing her husband, Prince Charles Quick)
Bond and Diana would have developed an intimate relationship over the course of many years of reporting. Bond claims Diana found the idea of divorce undesirable at best and terrifying at worst. Her main fear was that she would lose her children, Prince William and Prince Harry, who were 14 and 11, respectively, when the divorce was finalized.
In the documentary, Bond says Diana “was quite upset about the divorce… she told me, 'It's not something I want,'” Bond added, “I think somehow she felt that they could continue to be separated but partners and parents. two kids, and she really tried to make it work and wanted to make it work.
Diana put on a brave face after Charles's divorce
According to reports, Princess Diana and Prince Charles had been separated for years before their separation was formalized in 1996. It is widely reported that she had had a long-standing affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall and her current wife.
As journalist and supposed confidant Jennie Bond pointed out in Diana: In her own words (via the express), Diana "found the day of the divorce extremely difficult", but she made it a point to be seen in public. Bond says it's unclear if Diana made the decision to "save face" at a time when divorce was still heavily stigmatized (and even more so by royalty), or if she chose to go out in an attempt to distract herself from it. It could have been a wave of conflicting feelings.
Whatever the reasoning after Diana's divorce, Bond said the People's Princess was fighting privately. "She told me it was an extremely difficult day, but she went home and started crying."
Diana will always be remembered as the people's princess
While the impact of Princess Diana's divorce from Prince Charles was certainly palpable, it did not ultimately tarnish her position as a true princess in the hearts of the British people. Even after parting ways with the Windsors, Diana's reputation as a philanthropist; her defiance of the rules of the royal family; her courage in opening up about her past battles with depression, eating disorders, and suicide; and her commitment to living life to the fullest while making the world a better place created a legacy that survived her death in 1997.
Whether it is the delight found in even the shortest anecdotes, such as the story of Princess Diana dressed in costume to party with Freddie Mercury in one of London's oldest gay clubs, for the way she profoundly influenced her children, it is undeniable. : Diana always and forever remains the princess of the people.
