Princess Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles ended 25 years ago, but it continues to fascinate people today. There are some common beliefs surrounding the marriage, including the idea that their families arranged it. However, Diana once shut down this claim.
Princess Diana said her marriage was not arranged
Diana and Charles had a quick courtship. The couple went on just 12 dates before getting engaged in 1981.
Many people believe Diana and Charles were forced into marriage, but the late princess revealed this was not the case.
In 2001, royal reporter Ingrid Seward noted for Reader’s Digest, “I once asked Diana whether her marriage had been arranged, and she told me with some irritation: ‘It was Charles and I who decided on the marriage. Not the Queen. Us. No one else.’”
Prince Charles’ family members had some say in the marriage
Even though Diana and Charles made the choice to get married, that doesn’t mean other people did not influence them in some ways.
It is well known that Charles was smitten by his ex-girlfriend Camilla Parker Bowles. However, she was not “aristocratic” enough for the royal family.
His uncle, Lord Mountbatten, also reportedly told him, “Lovely for you two to have a fling, but this absolutely cannot end in marriage.”
When Charles and Diana began dating, the royal family seemed to approve of the match. Diana was a beautiful young lady from an aristocratic family with close ties to the royals. His father, Prince Philip, even reportedly told Charles to not string Diana along and either “propose to her or release her.”
Additionally, it didn’t take long before the media latched onto Diana and and became convinced Charles would marry her.
Charles reportedly told some people close to him, “The power and influence of the media driving matters towards an engagement and wedding were unstoppable. To have withdrawn, as you can no doubt imagine, would have been cataclysmic. Hence I was permanently between the devil and the deep blue sea.”
Royals nowadays have more freedom in who they marry
As many people know, Diana and Charles’ marriage did not get a happy ending. It was rife with emotional turmoils, and the couple ultimately divorce after 15 years together.
Nowadays, the royal family has loosened up restrictions about whom royals could marry. Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, later married for love.
William’s wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, came from an upper class British family, though, like Camilla, she was not an aristocrat. William and Kate met in college, and the couple dated for many years before tying the knot in 2011.
Meanwhile, Harry is married to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. She was born into a middle class American family and worked as an actor before meeting Harry. Meghan was also a divorcée, which would have barred her from joining the royal family decades ago.
In any case, it seems both William and Harry are happy with their respective spouses, and they are now raising the next generation of royals.
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