Long after the excitement of their wedding was over, the marriage between Prince Charles and Princess Diana became very unhappy.
Their problems were talked about all over the world. Many people supported Diana, but in reality, neither of them truly won. According to royal author Robert Jobson in his book The Windsor Legacy, King Charles regrets his mistakes in the marriage, but he is still frustrated by how the story has been remembered.
“His detractors focus on his neglect of his young bride and his adultery, branding him unfit for kingship, while overlooking her many affairs,” Jobson wrote in the royal biography, released January 6.
Charles has always admitted that the marriage was troubled from the beginning. His long relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles damaged his public image and led many to blame him entirely for the failure. However, Jobson writes that Diana also had relationships outside the marriage, something that is often ignored when people discuss their breakup.
Jobson explains that Charles is especially upset that Diana’s version of events became widely accepted after her interviews and biographies were released. These accounts came at a time when public sympathy was strongly in her favor, making her story more powerful. Charles believes that some of what was said was untrue, but over time it became accepted as fact.
“What frustrates The King even now is that Diana’s version of what happened is still believed, despite being, in his view, ‘a tissue of lies’ fed to a sympathetic but gullible press,” Jobson writes. “It is wrong in his opinion that they have become ‘historical fact.'”
Rather than trying to change public opinion, Charles has learned to live with the damage to his reputation. He feels deep regret for not ending the marriage earlier and believes he failed both Diana and the monarchy by going through with a wedding he knew was wrong.
“He feels he let down not only the monarchy but also himself and Diana by not calling off the wedding, when he knew it was wrong,” the author adds.
