NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA - 1983: Princess Diana And Prince Charles watch an official event during their first royal Australian tour 1983 IN Newcastle, Austrlia. (Photo by Patrick Riviere/Getty Images)
It’s been over 25 years since Princess Diana passed away in a tragic car crash but she is still remembered for her brilliant personality and her former husband, Prince Charles, for their failed marriage.
Back in his 20s, the heir to the British throne was considered the world’s most eligible bachelor. He broke many hearts after marrying Diana at the age of 32.
What seemed to be a fairy tale love story, quickly crumbled as the pair began having trouble in their marriage. By 1992, they decided to part ways for good and most people blamed his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles for their separation.
Years after Princess Diana’s demise, in 2005, Charles tied the knot with Camilla raising several eyebrows. But over time, things seemed to get better in the royal household as the Queen recently expressed her wish for Camilla to be known as Queen Consort whenever the time comes for Charles to take the throne. Despite this and Prince Charles’ many achievements in his royal life, Princess Diana’s legacy seems to linger over him.
“His tragedy is whatever he does, whatever he says, however he behaves, he will be remembered for one thing: the fact that his fairy-tale marriage ended,” Princess Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton told PEOPLE. “Just as Henry VIII is remembered for his six wives, Prince Charles is remembered for his first wife. It will always haunt him. His life has been defined by his marriage. Meanwhile, royal biographer Ingrid Seward noted, “The ghost of Diana really stalked him at every turn.”
Although the 73-year-old still hasn’t spoken openly about his late wife, he did cooperate with the authorities back in the early-2000s as an investigation was launched into her death. In 2005, he was questioned by the U.K. police as part of Operation Paget, which investigated the various conspiracy theories surrounding Diana’s death. Speaking to Daily Mail, the former head of Scotland Yard, John Stevens, revealed details of his conversation with Charles about a note she had written in 1995.
“My husband is planning ‘an accident’ in my car, brake failure, and serious head injury, [so he could marry Tiggy Legge-Bourke, Prince William and Prince Harry’s nanny]” read the note.
“Yes, allegations had been made about the Prince of Wales and other royals but we had to find or examine the [existing] evidence before we approached him with formal questions,” Stevens said. “We found no other evidence to support the scenario suggested in Diana’s note.”
