Princess Diana and King Charles III’s broken marriage still lingers on as one of the most controversial pasts behind closed doors of Buckingham Palace. While there was undoubtedly turmoil in the lives of the royals, the spotlight it drew was even more depressing.
However, for Prince William, those dim days of his childhood remind not just of two unhappy parents, but also a source of great learning and caution of not repeating those mistakes once again. The Prince of Wales recently opened up about his parents’ unhappy marriage and made some curious revelations.
Charles and Diana were married on this day in 1981. The Princess of Wales wore a Di-conic #Emanuel wedding gown, with a 25-foot train and a veil containing a whopping 459 feet of tulle. It was all about the #frockingFabulous excess and Diana absolutely loved it! pic.twitter.com/ROiHuUI1BM
— Catherine Curzon (@MadameGilflurt) July 29, 2025
In a candid interview on Apple TV+ series titled The Reluctant Traveler, William remarked how his mother, Diana, always strived to maintain a very warm atmosphere at home, something which he always noted growing up, which added a sense of love, security, and safety at all times. He said that he tries to do the same now, around his wife Kate and their three growing children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. However, the Prince of Wales noted that this warm, homely feeling was short-lived, as his parents divorced when he was just 8 years old.
William said, “You have to have that warmth, that feeling of safety, security, love. That was certainly part of my childhood. My parents got divorced at 8, so that lasted a short period of time.” He told host Eugene Levy that his biggest takeaway from his parents’ divorce was a determination never to repeat their mistakes. William highlighted that he, for once, never wishes to tread on the same path as his parents and do what they did. In his words, “You take that and you learn from it and you try and make sure you don’t make the same mistakes as your parents.”
As a father of three, the 45-year-old explained that he always tries to do the best for his children above all now. Reflecting on his own childhood experiences, William highlighted that the stress and drama faced during one’s growing-up years linger on with a person even when they become adults. He said, “I think we all try and do that, and I just want to do what’s best for my children. But I know that the drama and the stress when you’re small really affects you when you’re older.”
Addressing the past, Prince William recalled the turbulent times when his parents’ marriage hit rock bottom. Remembering the tight media scrutiny on what was actually happening, he went on to claim that perhaps the insatiable thirst to get to know the ugly truth of his parents’ personal lives is what made things much worse for both his father and mother.
He explained, “The media were so insatiable back then — it’s hard to think of it now, but they were much more insatiable. They wanted every bit of detail they could absorb, and they were in everything, literally everywhere.”
