People often refer to Camilla as a homewrecker—which in a sense, is definitely true. But Camilla or no Camilla, Charles and Diana’s marriage was doomed from the start.
Diana wasn’t unclever, but she wasn’t particularly intellectual. She had little in common with the stodgy, old-school Prince of Wales. Their monstrous age-gap was bad enough, but their interests widened the already soaring gap between them. You can tell from their engagement interview alone; their relationship was awkward, stifling, and incredibly strained.
It was said that when Charles was at Cambridge, he almost resembled a student from the 1930s. He strongly disapproved of the new music and long hair of the sixties, never mind the eighties. I never bought the claim that Diana was an airhead, but she certainly didn’t spend her leisure time reading the philosophy of Jung and Laurens van de Post.
Diana was a complicated person, who had serious emotional issues, which I don’t think Charles was prepared to deal with.
And to an extent, Charles and Diana’s marriage was practically arranged. Charles had to wed an aristocratic woman with no past—his dating pool etched as though it were still 1950. He was the world’s most eligible bachelor and bouldered by a crippling pressure to marry and produce an heir. So 19-year old Lady Diana Spencer, the daughter of an Earl, seemed like a decent match.
Once they married, all you could read and see was Diana. Diana played with the media; she loved the camera and the camera loved her. Though when you’re married to the future King, the ideal is to let him call the shots. But Diana didn’t do that, and the world loved her for it. She was a truly wonderful woman, but not what Prince Charles needed.
Camilla, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. She was outgoing, but did not seek the spotlight, and was quite happy to let him lead. Charles saw a woman who was his age, which meant they could relate well over current events, music, and many other subjects. They had brilliant chemistry and bonded over their love of books, the great outdoors, and, of course, their wry sense of humor.
Charles and Diana didn’t have any of that.
The marriage was an abysmal failure, and now in retrospect, it’s easy to see why it shouldn’t have taken place. But if it didn’t, we’d never get to see the joys of William or Harry, whom we still adore to this day.
Picture Source Wikipedia
Thanks for Scrolling
0 Comments