Princess Diana reportedly stayed in her rocky marriage to Prince Charles because she didn’t want to let Queen Elizabeth down.
In the book “Diana: Her True Story,” royal author Andrew Morton said that the Princess of Wales had great respect for Her Majesty. And even though she was aware that the monarchy was crumbling, she still respected the way that the Queen conducted herself.
During one joint royal outing, a friend of Princess Diana offered to lend her a fan so that she can cool herself down. However, she refused because she knew that the Queen wouldn’t have one.
“My mother-in-law is going to be standing there with her handbag, gloves, stockings, and shoes.’ It was a sentiment expressed in admiring tones for the Sovereign’s complete self-control in every circumstance, however trying,” Morton said.
While she was still an official member of the royal family, Princess Diana vowed to the Queen that she will never let her down. As such, even though she was struggling in her marriage to Prince Charles, she still stayed with him for years.
But Prince Charles and Princess Diana finally announced their divorce after a four-year separation in 1996 because of Her Majesty. After hearing about the late royal’s interview with Panorama, the Queen reportedly became enraged and asked the couple to finalize their divorce.
During Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage, there was a time when the latter asked the Queen for advice. Prince William and Prince Harry’s mom told the Queen that she doesn’t know what to do with Prince Charles amid reports that he was cheating on her with Camilla Parker Bowles.
The Queen simply told her former daughter-in-law that she didn’t also know what she should do. Princess Diana took offense with her answer because it didn’t seem as though she was will to help.
Meanwhile, the Queen also showed her respect for Princess Diana in the end. Following her death, the monarch gave a touching speech about Prince Charles’ ex-wife.
She called Princess Diana an exceptional human being and praised her for being a wonderful mother to Prince William and Prince Harry. The Queen decided to pay tribute to the Princess of Wales herself even though she was no longer an official member of the royal family at the time of her death.
“In good times and in bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness,” the Queen said.