Rumors of infidelity plagued the marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles,
and in 1992, the couple announced that they were separating.
They finally divorced officially in 1996, and neither would ever be the same.
Here's how Diana's life changed after she divorced Charles.
Two years after Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced that they were separating,
the world got a glimpse of the new Diana.
According to Reader's Digest, Diana attended an event in June 1994 and literally shocked
the world when she stepped out in a stunning black dress.
Of course, to any royal fan, you know that the dress had significant meaning.
Earlier that day, Charles' tell-all documentary had aired, and he had finally admitted to
his infidelity.
"It is a deeply regrettable thing to happen but it does happen and unfortunately in this
case it has happened."
As such, Diana busted out the so-called "revenge dress" from her closet, matched it with a
stunning pearl choker, and dazzled in front of the cameras.
Kerry Taylor, who auctioned some of Diana's clothing, explained,
"We call it the 'revenge dress' [because] she wore it the same evening Prince Charles
confessed to his adultery with Camilla.
While some would have been like, 'I can't face it this evening,' Diana went out in that
dress looking drop-dead gorgeous.
She made a big statement."
"Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
In fact, Diana had owned the dress for three years, but had yet to be seen in it because
she thought it was "too daring."
Her post-separation life gave her the guts to walk out in unapologetic style.
Divorce is hard on any kid, and imagine watching your parents battle it out in national — and
international — headlines.
According to Express, Princess Diana's relationship with her elder son, Prince William, was significantly
altered because of her divorce.
Royal sources shared that Diana was, quote, "too emotional" when she was around William,
and claimed that she "would cry on [his] shoulder" as her union to his father, Prince Charles,
came to a close.
Of course, William was just a kid at the time.
Jennie Bond, the former royal correspondent for the BBC, alleged that William would slide
tissues underneath the door to Diana's bathroom when he could hear her crying.
He reportedly told her,
"It'll be alright mummy, it'll be alright, I'll look after you."
Bond claimed that during the divorce, it should've been the other way around — that Diana should've
been the rock for her sons, not vice versa.
But the divorce did give Diana some freedom as a parent, and she even took her boys out
to restaurants and amusement parks as a result.
Royal titles are a big deal — they signify important standings within the royal family.
But when she got divorced from Prince Charles, Princess Diana officially had to give up the
"Her Royal Highness" title.
If it doesn't sound like a big deal, let us explain.
According to The New York Times, Diana being stripped of her title meant that she would
have to curtsy to all of her former family members.
This, of course, included her ex-husband and her two sons, who both had titles at the time.
Queen Elizabeth was reportedly fine with the idea of Diana keeping her title, but it was
Charles who insisted that she give it up.
Diana was allowed to keep the Princess of Wales title, which at the time had become
synonymous with her name in the public arena.
Some royal experts have argued that if Diana had gotten married a second time, however,
her Princess of Wales title would have most likely been taken away.
Ironically, Prince Harry gave up the "His Royal Highness" title after stepping down
from his role as a senior royal.
Talk about full circle.
When Princess Diana and Prince Charles formally announced their divorce, it shocked the world.
At the time, The New York Times wrote that the shift would majorly alter Diana's life,
and a large portion of that change had to do with her finances.
The newspaper reported that Charles "formally declared" that he would cease paying Diana's
bills.
Eric Golding, the administrator who oversaw the couple's settlement, signed a letter that
included, for example, that the bills from 40 of Diana's favorite stores were to be sent
directly to her from then on, marking a significant shift from her life as a royal.
The letter read, in part,
"Any expenditure incurred by or on behalf of Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales
[...] should be invoiced directly to the Princess of Wales's Office."
The letter was dated on August 21, 1996 — just a year before Diana's tragic passing.
Princess Diana was of course afforded the spoils of royal life.
But after she got divorced, she was granted a massive settlement.
As noted by The News, Diana walked away with an estimated $23.7 million.
But that was in 1996, and it's estimated that in today's money, she settled for about $43.2
million.
On top of her massive payout, Diana was granted an annual allowance of about $557,000 — but
of course, that's about $1 million today.
Apparently, Prince Charles didn't take the news about Diana's settlement very well.
In her book, "The Diana Chronicles," Tina Brown wrote,
"The Prince was first stunned, then outraged, when, in April [he was] presented with Diana's
final [...] term."
But Diana recognized that although the situation was devastating, she had the upper hand.
Charles was reportedly, quote, "desperate to be rid of her," so she used the opportunity
to negotiate on her own behalf.
Diana allegedly went to Queen Elizabeth and made it clear that if her terms weren't fulfilled,
she wouldn't agree to the divorce.
Any fan of the royal family knows that there are protocols on top of protocols.
When it comes to traveling, for example, two heirs to the British throne cannot fly together
— meaning that Prince William technically isn't allowed to travel with his children,
since they're all heirs to the throne.
When Princess Diana got divorced from Prince Charles, her life — when it came to traveling
— was altered in an interesting way.
As The New York Times noted, "much of Diana's financial future [was] in her own hands,"
after the divorce, including her vacations.
That was a big change for Diana, as typically royal family members are afforded large budgets
for traveling — so much so that they can afford to stay in exquisite hotels in amazing
locations.
But that benefit ended when Diana and Charles got divorced.
Diana also faced other travel limitations, and unless she was venturing on private vacation,
Queen Elizabeth and the Foreign Office had to give their consent before she could leave
the country.
Most if not all the royals are granted a significant staff.
For example, Queen Elizabeth has staff members that do a whole number of things for her — like
breaking in her shoes and waking her up to the sound of bagpipes, according to Insider.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles were most likely granted a well-rounded staff when they
were married, but according to Vanity Fair, Diana's staff was stripped down to just three
members when she and Charles got divorced.
When she established her post-divorce life in Kensington Palace, Diana had a cleaner,
a cook, and a dresser.
As such, her butler, Paul Burrell, wore many hats and fulfilled many of the services that
were not occupied by individual staff members.
Reader's Digest revealed that he served as a driver, an assistant, a delivery serviceman,
a close companion, and as the, quote, "crying towel" holder.
In fact, Diana and Burrell shared such a close bond, that Diana once said that he was "her
rock," according to The Sun.
Prior to working for Diana, Burrell had worked as Queen Elizabeth's footman, so he knew a
thing or two about maintaining royal life.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles separated in 1992, so it was really only a matter of
time before they got divorced.
However, in the immediate aftermath of the announcement of their official divorce in
1996, Diana had to deal with Charles' infidelity and, of course, Camilla Parker Bowles [BOWLS].
At the time of the divorce announcement, The New York Times reported that over that very
weekend the shocking news broke, Charles was spotted with Camilla.
The two were seen spending time together at a mutual friend's house in Wales.
"Mrs. Parker-Bowles is a great friend of mine.
I have a large number of friends that I'm terribly lucky to have."
As the Times put it, the photos were proof that Charles had never given up his love affair
with Camilla.
The outlet noted that Camilla is, quote, "whom many Britons blame, at least in part, for
the demise of the royal marriage."
In addition, Diana had to deal with the public's speculation as to whether or not Charles and
Camilla would ever get married.
Talk about a stressful situation.
Dealing with a divorce can be stressful enough as it is — let alone a divorce that's so
public.
But that was the situation that Princess Diana was in, and not only did she have to navigate
difficult terrain, but she was forced to give back a special item to the royal family.
According to Town & Country, Diana had to give back the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara,
which was given to her by Queen Elizabeth as a wedding present.
And that had to have stung.
As far as her other jewelry was concerned, Diana got to keep most of it.
Famously, she kept her sapphire and diamond engagement ring, and the ring in question
was left to Prince Harry at the time of her passing — yes, you heard that correctly.
According to the New Zealand Herald, the ring was originally left to Harry, but he gave
it to his older brother, Prince William, so William could pop the question to Kate Middleton
with it.
Kate has since been seen in the famous ring, as well as the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara
— both nods to the late princess.
It's not necessarily super common for divorced people to get along all that well, but after
the bitterness surrounding their separation had died down, Prince Charles and Princess
Diana were seemingly getting along.
According to The Telegraph, Diana had a luncheon with Tina Brown, the then-editor of The New
Yorker, shortly before she passed away and shared that she and Charles were, in her words,"on
the best terms they'd been for a very long time."
Brown dished about the sit down to The Telegraph, and shared some details that were a bit shocking,
but also a touch heartwarming about the princess's life post-divorce.
Brown explained,
"Charles got into the habit of dropping in on her at Kensington Palace and they would
have tea and a sort of rueful exchange.
They even had some laughs together."
So what contributed to their improving relationship?
Things between them in the headlines had quelled, their children were getting older, and Diana
had finally come to terms with Camilla Parker Bowles.
Adding just a twinge of heartbreak to the otherwise improving relationship, Brown went
on to say,
"But she said to me at that lunch that she would go back to Charles in a heartbeat if
he wanted her."
As a member of the royal family, Princess Diana was always on the scene when it came
to royal work, and she made quite the name for herself as a patron and advocate.
But it was after her divorce when Diana truly came into her own, and her work in the minefield-ravaged
lands of South Africa and Botswana really put her on the map.
Photos of Diana walking through cleared minefields garnered international attention, and according
to Town & Country, her dedication to the issue put a spotlight on a travesty that was seldom
talked about.
During her famous visit to Angola in 1997, Diana was championing an international treaty
that would ban landmines, and her confidence gave the much ignored issue the spotlight
it needed.
Diana tragically passed away shortly after, and we think it's safe to say that she was
just getting started in her philanthropic work.
Her son, Prince Harry, returned to Angola and picked up where his mother left off.
"My life is public service so wherever I am in the world it's going to be the same thing."
His visit to the country where Diana turned heads was described as a "particularly significant
and poignant journey" — and it's certainly one we won't forget.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.