The queen certainly sympathized with Diana, at least early on. Palace insiders would later say that she had turned to the queen for guidance and help, looking to her as a possible surrogate mother, not just a mother-in-law. It’s likely that Diana’s difficult upbringing had left deep scars. She was under an ever-increasing public spotlight, and her unhappiness and tension manifested itself by worsening bouts of bulimia and self-harm. While known to many in the press and public as “Shy Di,” she was prone to fits of insecurity and anger that led to heated arguments between the newlyweds. Diana, just barely out of her teens, enjoyed city life, popular music and dancing.ĭiana was also showing the early signs of the emotional volatility that would mar their marriage. Charles, like the rest of the Windsors, enjoyed traditional country life and outdoor pursuits like polo and hunting. The couple barely knew each other and Diana soon realized she had little in common with Charles or his family. But the fairytale romance hit a rough patch almost immediately. ![]() The relationship between Diana, the queen and the royal family quickly went downhillĪn estimated tv audience of 750 million watched Charles and Diana’s wedding in July 1981. ![]() ![]() The couple saw each other in person just 13 times before he proposed. Although he was fearful of making a marital mistake, Charles moved forward with a hasty courtship. The Queen Mother, the family member Charles’ was closest to, began plotting with her friend Baroness Fermoy to pull off the match between their grandchildren. But the former couple’s continued closeness was worrisome.Ĭharles’ father, Philip, pressured his son to make up his mind about Diana. Camilla’s on-again, off-again relationship with Charles had begun nearly a decade earlier, but fierce opposition from Charles’ family led to a break-up, during which Camilla had married. Perhaps more importantly, she was young (and still a virgin), which marked her out as quite different than many of the women in Charles’ life, including Camilla Parker Bowles. She was beautiful and well-bred, and her prior relationship with the family convinced nearly everyone that she’d easily slide into a royal role. For the queen and the rest of the Windsors, Diana seemed to tick off all the necessary boxes for a future consort. Now in his 30s, and with a well-deserved reputation as a playboy, Charles was under increasing pressure to find a suitable bride. Their relationship began a few years later and was strongly encouraged by the royal family. The 29-year-old Prince of Wales made a lasting impression on the teen, although he later recalled thinking of her as just a “jolly” young girl. Her older sister, Sarah, had a short-lived romance with Charles, and the future couple reportedly connected at a grouse hunt. ![]() The queen initially welcomed Diana into the familyĬharles and Diana’s first notable meeting took place when she was 16, in 1977. Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana at Buckingham Palace on MaPhoto: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Thanks in part to Baroness Fermoy’s decision to support her former son-in-law, and not her daughter, in the subsequent custody battle, Diana and her siblings were raised by her father and his second wife, Raine, with whom Diana had a difficult and emotionally damaging relationship. Diana spent her early years living at Park House on the royal family’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where she often played with Elizabeth’s younger sons, Andrew and Edward, who were much closer in age than Prince Charles, more than 12 years her senior.ĭiana’s childhood was shattered when her parents divorced when she was 7 years old. Diana’s maternal grandmother, Baroness Fermoy remained a close confidant of the Queen Mother for decades. Her father was an equerry to the queen and both of her grandmothers had served as ladies-in-waiting to the Queen Mother, Elizabeth II’s mother. Diana had known the royal family since she was a childĭiana was born into a family with close ties to the royal family. But while many, including Diana’s mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, had hoped Diana might be a breath of fresh air, her turbulent marriage led to a fractured relationship with both her husband and the queen. When Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles and heir to the British throne, millions around the world thought they’d witnessed the beginning of a golden new age for the House of Windsor.
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