After Netflix's hit show The Crown aired its fourth season at the end of 2020,
fans of the show found themselves wondering one thing: Why did Prince Charles choose
to marry Princess Diana when he clearly had passionate feelings for Camilla Parker Bowles?
The Crown depicts the prince and Camilla in a passionate relationship
prior to his wedding to Princess Diana. Their relationship is shown
to be a "whirlwind romance," in which emotions are constantly running high.
"But what we have is special."
"I know. And that's what makes things so confusing."
In the end, Prince Charles married Diana,
once Camilla had already married Andrew Parker Bowles. When Prince Charles met Camilla in 1970,
however, they were smitten right away. Journalist Jonathan Dimbleby even once said:
"[Charles] lost his heart to her almost immediately."
Prince Charles first met Camilla at a party, where it is said that Camilla
joked about their great-grandparents having an affair. She reportedly told the young prince:
"My great-grandmother was the mistress of your
great-great-grandfather. I feel we have something in common."
Granted it's not the best pick-up line in the world, but apparently it won over Prince Charles.
While Charles and Camilla seemed to be a perfect match right off the bat, however, some things
were not in order. At the time, Camilla was already involved with Andrew Parker Bowles,
who would eventually become her first husband. While their relationship was on-again, off-again,
she made the decision to stay with Andrew. It didn't help that Charles left to serve in the
Royal Navy, either, and it has also been said that Queen Elizabeth did not approve of Camilla.
Given that he couldn't have Camilla at the time, Prince Charles felt pressured by his
father to propose to anyone at all. In the end, he chose Lady Diana Spencer.
Since Camilla had gotten married in 1973, Diana was almost a last resort for Charles, and Diana
herself allegedly called the proposal from Prince Charles "hysterical." Prince Charles eventually
began an affair with Camilla, and the two would wed in 2005, eight years after Diana's death.
It wasn't just the Queen of England who had concerns about Charles and
Camilla walking down the aisle together. According to Express,
even Prince Charles' extended family was not keen on the idea. A spokesperson told the publication:
"They had a little fling in 1972, but Lord Mountbatten advised Charles:
'lovely for you two to have a fling, but this absolutely cannot end in marriage.'"
It seems as though the whole Royal Family was against the union and demanded that
Prince Charles keep it casual. It wasn't just the Royal Family who were against the
couple tying the knot, either. Camilla's family was also hopeful she would pursue
a relationship with Andrew rather than Charles. Allegedly, Camilla's father put
a fake ad in the newspaper announcing Camilla and Andrew's engagement. The announcement was
an attempt to force Andrew to propose to his daughter and, apparently, it worked.
Even while married to Diana, Prince Charles couldn't quit Camilla, and he continued
to see her behind his wife's back. As Diana infamously said in an interview with the BBC:
"Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
When asked about the affair, Charles brushed it off. In an interview from 1994, he said:
"Mrs. Parker Bowles is a great friend of mine. I have a large number of friends.
I'm terribly lucky to have so many friends who I think are wonderful
and make the whole difference to my life, which would become intolerable otherwise."
Charles continued:
"She has been a friend for a very long time, along with a lot of other
friends, and will continue to be a friend for a very long time."
Prince Charles and Camilla would eventually tie the knot in 2005. However, it wasn't exactly
met with rousing support from his family. Indeed, the queen didn't even attend her
son's second wedding. While she did give permission for the nuptials to go ahead,
she decided not to attend the wedding due to her role as the head of the Church of England.
In the end, the queen believed that her involvement would have been highly inappropriate.
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