Princess Diana’s marriage to King Charles may have captivated the world, but behind the fairy tale facade was a union that came with heartache, affairs, and emotional disconnection. Decades later, a surprising revelation about who Diana blamed for the collapse of her marriage has resurfaced. And no, it wasn’t Camilla.
The Prince and Princess of Wales tied the knot on July 29, 1981, when Diana was just 20 and Charles 32. From the very beginning, their relationship faced significant challenges. Both admitted to infidelity: Charles famously with Camilla Parker Bowles (now Queen Camilla), and Diana with cavalry officer James Hewitt. Their split was finalized in 1996.
(1994)#PrinceCharles admitting that he cheated on #PrincessDiana after reestablishing his ‘friendship’ with #CamillaParkerBowles.
This took place a year before Diana’s BBC interview. pic.twitter.com/IB6JgdyZPk
— 🍓🍋🍉 Murielle 🇫🇷 🇬🇦 💛🖤+💜 (@Mu_Ri_Elle) August 20, 2022
While the public long assumed Camilla was at the heart of Diana’s heartbreak, royal expert and author Ingrid Seward, who personally knew the late Princess, shared that Diana saw things differently.
“She said to me just before she died, it wasn’t Camilla. ‘It wasn’t Camilla that ruined our marriage, it was the people around Charles,’ Seward said during a recent appearance on A Right Royal Podcast.
It’s a remark that’s stayed with Seward for years. “I have never been able to unpick that comment and quite understand what it meant,” she admitted. But it did resonate with what Diana’s own father once shared. “I also remember Diana’s father saying how tricky the royal household was,” Seward added.
The royal expert compared Diana’s experience with that of her youngest son, Prince Harry. Like his mother, Harry has been openly critical of the inner workings of the royal family, especially in his memoir Spare, his Netflix series with Meghan Markle, and a recent BBC interview.
Seward noted, “What I’m trying to say is that Harry obviously has a point amid his morass of complaints. He does have some valid points, and I’m riveted.”
She continued, questioning whether the palace machinery was more of a hindrance than a help. “Are they just a load of overinflated egos in the royal household, or are they really trying to help?”
Talking about Diana’s personality, Seward said she believed the late Princess would’ve supported Harry speaking his truth, even if it rocked the royal boat. “I think she might have been proud, ‘I’m glad you said what you thought,’” she said.
“King Charles was an absolute wasteman of a husband to Princess Diana”
As the British Media tries to rewrite history on King Charles & Camilla anniversary – we remember the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth so help us God 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/FVouTSoKD0— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) April 10, 2025
“I think she would, I’m guessing, that she might have been quite proud of him for speaking up and saying what he thought, because that’s what she liked. She liked to say exactly what she thought and then deal with the consequences afterwards, which is, of course, what happened to her.”
Of course, Diana’s own explosive interview with Panorama lives on in public memory. In it, she famously admitted the reality of her marriage, saying, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” She also openly spoke about her affair and the mental health toll that came with life behind palace walls.
In hindsight, Diana’s words echo louder than ever, not just as a window into her pain, but as a warning that royal life, for all its glamour, can often come at a steep personal cost.
