Who was to blame for the famously contentious split between Prince Charles and Princess Diana?
And how many strongly worded letters passed among the royals?
Keep watching for Prince Philip's real feelings on the situation.
Everyone that's watched the fourth season of "The Crown" will recall a scene in the
final episode between Prince Philip and Princess Diana. During the scene,
Philip tries to persuade Diana not to divorce his eldest son, Prince Charles.
While it's unclear as to whether this meeting actually occurred, the matters raised during
their conversation did take place through letters that the pair sent to one another.
In 2003, letters between Philip and Diana were uncovered which revealed
that the Duke of Edinburgh was on his daughter-in-law's side.
According to royal author Ingrid Seward's book "Prince Philip Revealed," Philip wrote,
"Charles was silly to risk everything with Camilla for a man in his position. I cannot imagine anyone
in their right minds leaving you for Camilla. The prospect never even entered our heads."
As reported by the Daily Mail, Prince Philip also wrote to Diana,
"[I want] to do my utmost to help you and Charles to the best of my ability.
But I am quite ready to concede that I have no talent as a marriage counsellor!"
In reply, Diana said she was, quote, "particularly touched" by the letter,
which proved to her that Philip cared. According to The Guardian, she wrote back,
"You are very modest about your marriage guidance skills, and I disagree with you!"
However, there was a point prior to this that Philip reportedly blamed Diana for the
breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles. In an episode of the "You're Wrong About" podcast,
hosts Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall discussed how some letters between Prince Philip and
Princess Diana were a bit more cruel. Essentially, Philip seemed to blame Diana for destroying the
marriage at the beginning. In one of the opening lines of the letters, Philip reportedly wrote,
"Can you honestly look into your heart and say that Charles, his relationship with Camilla,
has nothing to do with your behavior towards him in your marriage?"
Basically, Philip was misdirecting the blame for his son's affair with Camilla Parker
Bowles on to Diana. He also suggested that Diana was too "possessive" of her children,
Prince William and Prince Harry. According to a confidante of Diana's,
Diana was unsurprisingly "furious" about what Philip had implied.
Unsurprisingly, it's believed that Diana wrote a strongly worded letter back to the Duke of
Edinburgh, with Hobbes summarizing that the princess said something along the lines of,
"He's the one that decided to cheat on me. I'm sorry. I'm not going to take the blame for that."
Philip would reportedly acknowledge his behavior, leading to a much stronger
relationship between the two that reportedly ended up with Philip supporting Diana. However,
the Mirror suggested that additional letters dated nearer to Charles and Diana's divorce
were said to be more disparaging, mainly due to Diana's revealing BBC interview in 1995.
"Well there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward alleged that Prince Philip wanted nothing to do with Diana
after the infamous interview. According to Seward, whenever Diana appeared at Windsor Castle
with William and Harry following the divorce, Philip would disappear. A friend of Diana's,
Teddy Forstmann, told the Mail Online that the feeling was mutual, explaining,
"She hated Prince Philip."
And it wasn't just Prince Philip that sent letters to Diana with reported disdain regarding
her divorce. According to the Express, Queen Elizabeth sent a letter to Diana demanding that
she and Prince Charles separate following the princess' unforgettable BBC interview.
During an appearance on New Idea's "Royals" podcast, royal commentator Angela Mollard
alleged it was the Queen who insisted Diana and Charles divorced. Mollard explained,
"The Queen quickly sent a letter to Diana and said 'you need to divorce' and that
was finalized in 1996. There was obviously a confidentiality agreement that stopped
them both from discussing the details of their divorce and married life."
According to the Mirror, the queen's letter read,
"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."
Diana's former butler Paul Burrell alleged that Diana's reaction was priceless,
and she reportedly said,
"That's rich! They get to decide whether I divorce!"
A few days later, Buckingham Palace issued a public statement saying,
"After considering the present situation the Queen [...] gave them their view,
supported by the Duke of Edinburgh, that an early divorce is desirable."
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