When Princess Diana and Prince Charles tied the knot in 1981, it was considered a wedding of the century, until their fairytale love story came to an end. After much speculation that the former couple's relationship didn't look what it seemed to be, a separation was announced in 1992, followed by an official divorce in 1996. The late Princess of Wales suspected that Camilla Parker-Bowles was behind their failing marriage, but why did the Prince of Wales choose her? What exactly happened that ruined their romance?
Seven hundred fifty million people across the globe watched the Wales' royal wedding. The world even celebrated with them when they welcomed their two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, in 1982 and 1984, respectively.
Although Princess Diana and Prince Charles seemed to be the epitome of love at the time, everything was different behind closed doors. Their separation was announced in 1992, followed by their divorced in 1996. Although the decision saddened Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, they couldn't do anything but understand and sympathized with them. So, when things started go wrong?
According to Mirror Online, former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter said on the Channel 5 documentary Charles and Camilla: King and Queen in Waiting that Princess Diana and the Duke of Cornwall's marriage started going downward spiral after Prince William and Prince Harry's arrival. Prince Charles wasn't a hands-on dad that Diana expected, and it took a toll on their relationship.
Another royal expert Katie Nicholl added that Princess Diana always knew that Prince Charles still couldn't forget Camilla, and it broke her heart. She strongly suspected that her then-husband was still in love with his ex, and despite their marriage, he still couldn't let her go. This made Diana felt "cut off, isolated, and betrayed."
Princess Diana's solo outing to the Taj Mahal during their Royal Tour of India in 1992 also signified the beginning of their broken marriage. Affairs commentator Carole Malone revealed that Diana asked Prince Charles to come with her to the temple of love, but he refused.
She was hurt, but she still went on her own, posed for a solo photo in front of the mausoleum, and told journalists that her visit was "healing" for her. When asked what she meant about it, she only responded with, "Work it out for yourself."
So, why did Prince Charles chose to marry Princess Diana over Camilla? History Extra revealed that he had his doubts, but as the media frenzy grew, his father, Prince Philip intervened and asked him to propose to Diana or let her go.
He might have felt the pressure, as he wanted to do the right thing for his family and country, so he proposed to her in 1981. She accepted the proposal, although she believed that there was something between him and Camilla.
