The Real Reason Prince Charles And Princess Diana Divorced

They had nothing in common

In Sally Bedell Smith’s book Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life (via People and the Daily Mail), sources claim Charles and those close to him were concerned about the 12-year age gap he shared with Princess Diana. When they wed, he was 32 to her 20.

Prince Philip, Charles’ father, reportedly wrote him a letter urging him to marry Diana to protect her reputation. Charles’ cousin, Pamela Hicks, reportedly read the letter and told Smith (via News 12), “It was measured and sensitive, [but Charles] wasn’t in love, he wasn’t ready. He saw it as a ghastly threat. Psychologically he assumed his father bullied him, so he read it as a bullying letter.”

Insiders told Smith that Charles and Diana didn’t have any shared interests or hobbies, or even the same sense of humor.

The media pressure was too much

Diana was subject to media scrutiny throughout the relationship. She told Panorama in 1995, “The most daunting aspect was the media attention, because my husband and I, we were told when we got engaged that the media would go quietly, and it didn’t; and then when we were married they said it would go quietly and it didn’t; and then it started to focus very much on me, and I seemed to be on the front of a newspaper every single day, which is an isolating experience, and the higher the media put you, place you, is the bigger the drop. And I was very aware of that,” she said.

“We were a newly-married couple, so obviously we had those pressures too, and we had the media, who were completely fascinated by everything we did.” She continued, “And it was difficult to share that load, because I was the one who was always pitched out front, whether it was my clothes, what I said, what my hair was doing, everything…when actually what we wanted to be, what we wanted supported was our work, and as a team…”

Charles wanted a daughter

For all the previous royals’ obsessions with having male heirs, Prince Charles was said to be devastated that his and Diana’s second child was a boy.

In audio tapes obtained by biographer Morton that were included in the re-release of Diana: Her True Story—In Her Own Words (via Marie Claire), Diana said, “Charles and I were very, very close to each other the six weeks before Harry was born, the closest we’ve ever, ever been and ever will be. Then, suddenly, as Harry was born, it just went bang, our marriage. The whole thing went down the drain…He wanted two children and he wanted a girl.” Diana added that when he saw Harry, Charles said, “‘Oh God, it’s a boy, and he’s even got red hair.'” If Prince Harry ever develops daddy issues, refer to this story.