Princess Diana and Prince Charles's divorce was one of the most controversial separations that hit the royal family. But, despite the widespread belief that the Princess of Wales wanted the divorce, her former butler revealed she received a letter from Queen Elizabeth II, telling her that she should divorce her son.
The People's Princess' former butler, Paul Burrell, told The Sun that it was a myth that his former boss wanted the divorce. In fact, she only wanted a separation at the time.
Burrell alleged that Princess Diana showed her a letter sent by Queen Elizabeth herself. "It was very obvious to make out that was from the Queen. It was in the Queen's hand, and her writing was shocking," he added.
"I have consulted with the Archbishop of Canterbury also with the prime minister and, of course, with Charles, and we have decided that the best course for you is divorce," the letter allegedly read. At the time, the Prime Minister was John Major, and the Archbishop of Canterbury was Lord Carey. Princess Diana then reacted about the letter to Burrell, surprised by the thought that the royal family got to decide whether she should get a divorce.
Days after she received the letter, Buckingham Palace announced Princess Diana and Prince Charles' divorce. In a statement, it said that after considering their situation, Queen Elizabeth already cast her view, which was supported by her husband, Prince Philip, that a divorce was needed.
In 1996, after Express noted that their divorce pushed through. It officially went through a "decree nisi," 15 years after their 1981 wedding in St Paul's Cathedral.
Princess Diana received a £17million lump sum and £350,000 a year to continuously run her private office. Despite the divorce, she was allowed to keep her apartment at Kensington Palace. She and Prince Charles also both agreed to share the custody of their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
However, she was stripped off of her HRH title. Princess Diana stood on her feet and gave a bombshell interview with the veteran Panorama journalist Martin Basher. It was watched by 22.8 million people, making it the highest-rated BBC program until today. The talk was kept a total secret from Buckingham Palace.
At the time, Bashir asked Princess Diana if one of the reasons why her marriage with Prince Charles broke down was Camilla Parker-Bowles. She then answered that there were three of them in their marriage that made it a bit crowded.
