Will the people of England ever truly forgive King Charles III for his infidelity?
Here's why Princess Diana's death will always haunt the current monarch.
When Charles and Diana Spencer tied the knot, it seemed millions were watching a real-life
fairytale play out in real time — the dress, the flowers, and the adoring fans all contributed
to the feeling that the marriage was a love story for the ages.
But the dream-like state spectators were in was quickly shattered, as Diana and Charles'
marriage was fraught with scandal, cheating allegations, and tension.
"Whatever 'in love' means."
"Yes."
By 1992, the pair had formally separated, and while divorce never seemed to be in the
cards for the then-Prince and Princess of Wales, their union officially ended in 1996.
As The New York Times noted, as the pair reached a formal agreement, Diana walked away from
negotiations with a considerable settlement — $22.5 million in cash and $600,000 yearly
payments — and her title as Princess of Wales.
One of the biggest kicks, however, came to her royal status.
The outlet noted that it was Charles who demanded Diana be stripped of the Royal Highness title,
a moniker that set her apart as a royal.
Queen Elizabeth II was said to have supported Diana keeping the designation, but Charles
insisted she give it up.
Once stripped of her HRH status, Diana was expected to curtsy to other royals — including her sons.
However, the royal family made it clear that Diana would always be, quote, "regarded as
a member of the royal family" and "from time to time receive invitations to state and national
public occasions."
Diana's life was tragically cut short in August 1997.
The princess was fleeing the paparazzi in Paris when her car crashed, severely injuring
her and the vehicle's occupants.
After the accident, the princess slipped into cardiac arrest, and doctors spent more than
two hours trying to revive her, but to no avail.
Diana succumbed to her injuries at 4 a.m.
The following day, Charles arrived in Paris and collected Diana's remains.
The public display of sorrow kicked off an outpouring of grief worldwide.
Charles accompanied a flag-draped coffin as it left the hospital, joined by Diana's two
sisters and former French President Jacques Chirac and his wife.
Another flag — the Royal Standard, also known as the personal flag belonging to the
royal family — was placed on Diana's coffin, and the mourning group made their way to an
airfield just outside Paris.
Charles not only traveled to Paris to collect Diana's body but was also responsible for
telling his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, that their mother had died.
Just 15 and 12 at the time, William and Harry were at Balmoral in Scotland when the news broke.
While Queen Elizabeth II kept her opinions and personal strife to herself with the classic
British stiff upper lip, she did make it clear that 1992 — the year Charles and Diana separated
— was significantly awful.
With that in mind, it might not be a huge shock to learn that the late queen reportedly
did not want to give Diana a public royal funeral and pushed for a private ceremony
for family only instead.
As noted by The New York Times in the immediate aftermath of Diana's death, Charles was the
one to demand a public funeral for his ex-wife, proving that even in their time of separation,
he respected her memory and public legacy.
As a television news report noted shortly after Diana's death, Charles and the queen
"disagreed so vehemently" on funeral arrangements that former Prime Minister Tony Blair had
officials sent to "mediate" conversations between them.
While Buckingham Palace denied the report, The Sun also reported similar circumstances
unfolding behind closed doors.
It wasn't just Charles who was said to be upset at the queen's specification for a private
funeral for Diana, either.
According to The New York Times, Diana's family was so upset at the monarch for pushing for
a private funeral that, quote, "they initially refused to communicate with her and palace officials."
The fact that Charles was having an affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles throughout his
marriage to Diana was the worst-kept secret in Britain.
Even from the onset of his relationship with Diana, Charles was sending Camilla gifts,
chatting with her on the phone, and making it clear that she was the object of his affectionate desires.
By 1986, Camilla and Charles' relationship was confirmed to be back on, and Diana was
acutely aware of this.
In her infamous PBS interview with Martin Bashir, Diana admitted:
"Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
Of course, Charles and Diana got divorced in 1996, and Camilla had since split from
Andrew Parker Bowles, her first husband.
The duo — who had known each other for decades — were finally able to be together, but
Diana's death changed their plans immensely.
As noted by The Guardian, Charles' 50th birthday party in November 1997 could have been the
launching pad for Camilla to re-enter high society by the royal's side.
Still, Diana's tragic death in August forced Charles to abandon his plans to introduce
Camilla to the public again.
Such a rollout didn't come to fruition.
Even after she married Charles, Camilla never publicly used the Princess of Wales title
out of respect for its historical tie to Diana.
When Diana's life was cut so tragically short, her sons — Prince William and Prince Harry
— were only 15 and 12 at the time.
Watching the boys walk behind their mother's coffin was one of the saddest sights to behold,
as thousands of mourners cried alongside them.
Perhaps even more jarring for the young princes was their father's relationship with Camilla,
transcending their mother's marriage to him and the time following her death.
As noted by The Guardian, Charles was all but forced to introduce his children to his
long-time mistress, as William had paid an unexpected visit to his father while Camilla
was with him.
Awkwardly meeting each other for the first time at St. James's Palace, a 16-year-old
William and Camilla exchanged pleasantries for about half an hour before the now-Prince
of Wales left.
A spokesperson for Charles said in the aftermath of the meeting:
"Meetings between the children and Mrs. Parker Bowles are a private family matter, which
we are not prepared to discuss, and we hope for their sakes, the media will now leave
this very personal matter alone."
When Charles finally admitted to having an affair, it confirmed the rumors everyone knew
to be true.
Sitting down for an interview with British journalist Jonathan Dimbleby in 1994, Charles
confessed that he had been faithful to his wife, quote, "until [the marriage] became
irretrievably broken down, us both having tried."
According to The New York Times, what ensued was the reopening of "old wounds" that the
public was trying to come to grips with, given that Charles had been marred with scandal
for years.
Brian Hoey, a royal biographer, said at the time:
"In one stroke, he's wiped out all the good will he's built up over 12 months."
As Charles emerged somber and bereft following his ex-wife's death, feelings of sympathy
and understanding were granted more to his sons than to the royal himself; Charles' reputation
was still negatively impacted given his infidelity and the rumors that circulated about his mistreatment
of Diana.
ABC noted that the public expressed an "outpouring of grief" and "anger" directed at Charles
and the royals.
In the wake of Diana's death, it became clear that her influence and popularity would long
outlive her.
Charles, meanwhile, appeared to be floundering in his personal life, as the then-unmarried
heir to the throne was still connected to Camilla Parker Bowles.
His journey to bring her into the royal family would be anything but easy, and Queen Elizabeth
II herself had a big request for her son's private secretary.
Sir Michael Peat assumed the role of Charles' right-hand man in 2002, and while it sounds
like a secretary would keep the books and make sure all the phone calls are answered,
Peat's plan was said to be far more sinister.
According to reports, he was told by the queen herself that his priority was to break up
Charles and Camilla — sounding more like an elaborate plot of a soap opera rather than
the real-life comings and goings of one of the most influential families in the world.
As it happened, Charles had already attempted to bring Camilla into the royal fold in the
months following Diana's death in 1997, but it was to no avail.
According to People, the queen was said to have had several martinis when Charles approached
her about the subject and told her son that Camilla was a "wicked woman" with which she
wanted "nothing to do."
"Oh, really?
Please."
"Boom."
Perhaps one of the most apparent ways Charles' life changed after Diana's death came in 2005.
After decades of knowing one another and being involved in extramarital affairs, Charles
and Camilla finally married in a civil ceremony at Windsor.
The wedding was not without judgment, however, as Queen Elizabeth II made a point of not
attending the nuptials.
Given her role as the then-head of the Church of England, the queen thought it would be
inappropriate to participate in the wedding of two divorcees, as the church does not condone
divorce in the first place.
Putting the crown above family again, Elizabeth did not shy away from her responsibilities
— but it certainly left people wondering if other motives made her sit out of the day's
happy event.
Despite any rumored tension, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip hosted a reception for
Charles and Camilla following their April 9th wedding, with the queen sharing heartfelt
words with the newlyweds.
According to The Globe and Mail, the Queen said:
"Despite ... terrible obstacles, my son has come through, and I'm very proud and wish
them well.
The couple have finally arrived in the winner's enclosure."
Though it's been decades since Diana's death, her influence is just as prominent as ever.
More information has been released about Diana's struggles within the royal family, and her
story has been immortalized on-screen for everyone to see.
Perhaps one of the most prominent sources of royal family-based drama is Netflix's "The
Crown" – a retelling of the royals amid Queen Elizabeth II's reign that has thousands
upon thousands of fans.
"Well, well."
The streaming giant has made it clear that "The Crown" is a dramatized telling of the
royal stories, but fans met Charles and Camilla with vitriol online when the show's fourth
season dropped.
Predominantly focusing on Diana and Charles' early relationship and marriage, Season 4
of "The Crown" brought Diana's struggles with bulimia, her cries for help, and Charles'
affair to the spotlight – however factual to how things actually played out.
Viewership was so high — and so impassioned — that the Twitter comments on Charles and
Camilla's joint account were turned off.
Before Clarence House had the chance to disable comments on a Twitter post from November 2020,
around the time of the Season 4 drop, Diana's staunch defenders got a word in.
One person commented:
"Something is wrong with him.
How could any man walk away from [an] extremely gorgeous, fabulous, and stylish woman.
[Camilla will] never be like Diana."
When Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8th 2022, King Charles III immediately took
the throne.
It's a role that he's been preparing for his entire life, and while some may have been
happy to see him take over the monarchy, many others were quick to focus on Diana amid her
ex-husband's ascension.
As noted by Insider, many videos — predominately on TikTok — popped up in the immediate aftermath
of Charles' ascension, focusing on Diana as the "real queen" of Britain, as opposed to Camilla.
The hashtag "Cowmilla" even saw quite a bit of traction.
Still, others — even those who knew Diana — were quick to point out that fans of the
late princess should tone down the online bullying.
Grant Harrold, a former butler to King Charles, told Insider:
"There are always going to be people who love Diana — that's not going to change."
He went on to say that fans should support Camilla and Charles.
His comments were bolstered by former royal chef Darren McGrady, who said:
"A lot of the country still adore Diana... you know, if things had gone to plan, we would
have Queen Diana right now.
They didn't.
But he's been married for 17 years now, and Camilla seems to be that stability in his life."