The divorce of Princess Diana and King Charles is one of the most discussed events in the history of the British royal family. From accepting infidelity in marriage to expensive divorce settlements, here's everything we know.
© Terry Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty_Images
Conditions for the divorce of Princess Diana and King Charles
What began as a fairytale romance in 1980 ended brutally with tears, drama and adultery. Princess Diana and the then Prince Charles met In 1977 for the first time at their family home in Althorp, where the prince took part in a grouse hunt. She was just 16 years old at the time. It wasn't until a few years later that sparks began to fly between the two – in… 1980 when they met at Princess Diana's friend's house.
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The royal couple announced their engagement in 1981 after only 13 meetings, according to Harper Bazaar. The couple then moved on divorced 15 years later in 1996.
Here are all the details about the royal family's most controversial divorce.
How did Princess Diana and Charles divorce?
In 1981, King Charles and Princess Diana married in front of 3,500 guests in St. Paul's Cathedral. What the world thought was an idyllic marriage ended in ruins. The two announced their separation in 1992 after a series of events, including when Princess Diana famously confronted Camilla about her affair with Charles. She reportedly walked up to her and spoke directly about the affair. Royal biographer Andrew Morton wrote the exact conversation that took place between the two in his book Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words. Princess Diana said to Camilla:
I know what's going on between you and Charles, and I just want you to know that.
Camilla's rude response finally made her say:
I want my husband.
According to Cosmopolitan, the British family disapproved of a divorce and initially wanted Princess Diana and Charles to stay together despite accusations of infidelity. However, they eventually decided to separate and British Prime Minister John Major officially made the announcement in December 1992. ThePalace made many comments to reporters and “went to great lengths” to emphasize that the breakup wasn’t because of Camilla – something royal author Ingrid Seward also claims Princess Diana believed.
But to the great surprise of the nation The king finally admitted that he had been unfaithful to Diana. In June 1994, he revealed that he remained faithful to Diana “until she irretrievably broke down.” A year later, Princess Diana did unethically obtained BBC Panorama interview – for which the broadcaster has now apologized and paid a large amount of compensation – and admitted that Camilla was the reason for their separation. She famously said:
Since there were three of us in this marriage, it was a bit crowded.
She addressed the entire nation's question about what's next for the royal couple, confirming that she's waiting for Prince Charles to make a decision.
After Diana's explosive interview Queen Elizabeth intervened and asked Prince Charles to end his marriage to Princess Diana. This came as the princess revealed the details of her bulimia and self-harm, admitted adultery and painted a frightening picture of a stiff and callous royal family. The New York Times reports that the The Queen wrote letters to Charles and Diana and asked her to divorce in accordance with Buckingham Palace's statement dated December 21, 1995.
Terms of Princess Diana and Charles' divorce
Princess Diana agreed to the divorce on February 29, 1996. Her lawyer Anthony Julius ended up giving her a very specific divorce agreement because it was not a normal divorce like that of Prince Andrew or Princess Anne.
After months of negotiations between the two, lawyers finally agreed on the terms of the high-profile divorce case August 1996, reports Oprah Daily. It was completed just a year before Princess Diana's death.
Let's take a look at the high-profile divorce terms between Prince Charles and Camilla:
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Princess Diana always knew that divorce would deprive her of her status. Therefore, she fought to retain as many of her royal regalia as possible. For starters, Princess Diana had to give up her title of Her Royal Highness (HRH), but was allowed to keep her title of Princess of Wales. Queen Elizabeth was reportedly willing to let her have the title, but Charles insisted she give it up. She also voluntarily renounced her numerous honorary military titles.
residence and office
Princess Diana was also present as part of the divorce agreement was allowed to keep her residence at Kensington Palace. She also gained access to the royal family's jets. Furthermore, the palace confirmed that the princess could use this the state chambers in 'St. James's Palace for entertainment,” as long as she asks permission in advance.
However, she was asked to vacate her offices next to King Charles's then offices at St. James's Palace. Diana was offered an alternative Space for new offices at Kensington Palace.
Princess Diana's status as a royal
Although she gave up her HRH title, the palace confirmed this Diana would continue to be “regarded as a member of the royal family.” From time to time she was allowed to “accept invitations to state and national public occasions” at the invitation of the sovereign or government.
Jewelry
The princess was allowed to keep all the jewelry she had accumulated during her marriage. After the divorce, she was seen wearing her wedding ring and engagement ring, but later replaced them with an aquamarine ring she bought herself. Meghan Markle also wore this ring at her wedding.
Financial settlement
Unlike most other divorces, this royal divorce is high-profile pushed for a lump sum settlement instead of regular maintenance checks. Buckingham Palace confirmed she would receive a lump sum payment, and although the actual amount was not revealed, it was Probably $22.5 million in cash plus $600,000 a year for her office. The generous financial settlement was far less than what the princess supposedly had in mind – 75 million dollarsaccording to the New York Times.
Custody of Prince William and Prince Harry
Prince William and Prince Harry were both in attendance Ludgrove Boarding School. The agreement helped them overlook most of the turmoil that led to their parents' separation and divorce. After the divorce, Diana and Charles were given “equal access” to their children. The two took turns on vacation and spent equal time with their parents. Prince William said in the ITV documentary Diana, Our Mother:
There was a point where our parents separated and we both bounced back and forth, never seeing enough of our mother or father.
Read more
⋙ Princess Diana: Royal author reveals Queen Elizabeth knew she wasn't right for Charles
⋙ The story of how King Charles allegedly smuggled a mysterious blonde woman onto the royal train in 1980
⋙ Princess Diana: Documentary reveals new allegations of affair with James Hewitt, what does he do now?
Sources used
Harper Bazaar: A Timeline of Princess Diana and Prince Charles' Whirlwind Romance
Cosmopolitan: The true story of Princess Diana and Prince Charles' divorce: Custody agreements, $$ settlements and cover drama
New York Times: Charles and Diana agree on divorce terms
Oprah Daily: Princess Diana felt a “deep, deep sadness” when she divorced King Charles
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