Diana told me the real reason her marriage to Charles failed shortly before she died – and it wasn’t Camilla, expert reveals

• Before being a member of the royal family, Princess Diana was known as Lady Diana Spencer.
• The king met his future bride when she was just 16 years old, in November 1977.
• He was dating her older sister, Lady Sarah, but it was not until the summer of 1980, when Diana saw him play polo during a weekend in the country, that he became seriously interested in her as a bride.
• It is known that Charles and Diana had a very tumultuous relationship.
• The future king proposed to Diana on February 6, 1981, but the news was kept secret for a few weeks.
• The couple officially announced their engagement on February 24, 1981.
• The wedding took place on Wednesday, July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
• It is estimated to have been watched by a global TV audience of 750 million, and the United Kingdom also had a national holiday on that day.
• Even so, the couple barely knew each other. Diana later admitted: “We only met 13 times before our wedding day.”
• On the first day of their honeymoon aboard the Britannia yacht, things began to fall apart.
• Diana noticed that Charles was wearing a pair of cufflinks with two letters C intertwined.
• She would later recall: “So I said, ‘Camilla gave this to you, didn’t she?’.
• He said, ‘Yes, so what’s wrong? They are a gift from a friend’. And boy, did we have a fight. Jealousy, total jealousy.
• Weeks before the wedding, Diana found a bracelet with the letters GF among the wedding gifts.
• They represented Gladys and Fred, their pet names for each other.
• The growing divide was put to rest on November 5, 1981, when the princess’s first pregnancy was officially announced.
• In 1984, pregnant with Prince Harry, Diana suspected that her husband was also seeing Camilla on other occasions.
• But as the birth approached, Diana recalled: “Charles and I were very, very close to each other six weeks before Harry was born – the closest we have ever been and will be.
• “Then suddenly, when Harry was born, our marriage just exploded. The whole thing went down the drain.”
• The couple separated in 1992 and finalized their divorce in 1996.
• Charles reportedly told his friends “how terrible the incompatibility is” and in mid-1986 he reportedly rekindled his affair with Camilla.
• In June 1994, Charles confessed to Jonathan Dimbleby in a TV interview that he had been unfaithful to Diana, saying he had rekindled his relationship with Camilla in 1986 only after their marriage had “broken down irretrievably”.
• Then, in November 1995, Diana chose BBC’s Panorama to tell her version of the sad story, telling presenter Martin Bashir: “There were three of us at this wedding, so it was a bit crowded.”

While he may not have been present during Kate’s brave video on Friday — make no mistake, he was by her side every step of the way.

William stepped up with schoolwork and provided a “great source of comfort and security” for his wife.

But he has also been a comforting, reassuring presence for audiences.

From leading members of the Royal Family in the Commonwealth Day Service to enjoying lighthearted banter with young people on a visit to a youth center, he didn’t put a foot wrong.

Just this week he visited Sheffield to highlight his Homewards project to end homelessness in the UK.

Still, there were few flaws in his façade – but Kate was clearly on his mind.

“She needs to be sitting here to hear this,” he smiled, as the discussion turned to the challenges of young families.

But ultimately, he is only human.

Having your father and wife diagnosed with cancer in such quick succession is heartbreaking.

It is a remarkable insight into this young man’s character that he was so incredibly brave.

Their turmoil is a very private one, which has been brought into the public arena by the nature of their roles as future King and Queen.

William must feel the weight of an enormous responsibility, both personally and to the monarchy, of which he is now the public face.

But he knows his most important role is as a father and husband.

He will make this his priority.

This is a distinct difference from the customs of the past, where your royal role came before the role of spouse and parent.

Think back to when the queen was young.

PRIORITY OF WILL

Back then, it was a man’s world – and she was forced to abandon her children in a way that William is determined not to do.

William and Kate waited until the school term was over and their children were home before making the public announcement.

They needed to be prepared.

In this, they will have the unconditional support of Charles – who knows what it’s like to be raised by nannies.

William was also acutely aware of his father’s lack of presence in his life, especially when things went wrong.

In 1991, he was accidentally hit in the head with a golf club when he was at school and Diana was having lunch at her favorite restaurant, San Lorenzo.

The call came that William had been hit in the head and they thought he might die, so it was very serious.

Charles and Diana rushed to Ludgrove.

William was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital and then to Great Ormond Street Hospital and Diana went with him.

But always a man of duty, Charles prioritized his commitments.

William is determined to do things differently.