Upon Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla became the new king and queen consort. But many are remembering the popular Princess Diana who once had claim to the highest royal title.
Diana, Charles’ first wife, died at the age of 36 in a car crash in Paris in 1997. The couple had already separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Per Reuters, the princess blamed Camilla for her ruined marriage, making her one of the most disliked members of the royal family for years.
“Charles was silly to risk everything with Camilla for a man in his position,” Prince Philip, the late queen’s husband, said in a letter to Diana. “I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind leaving you for Camilla.”
But the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic played a part in her redemption in the eyes of the British public, as Charles and Camilla stepped into royal duties and responsibilities when Queen Elizabeth’s health started declining.
“We have seen her in a much more informal setting and that has given people a chance to get to know her a little better,” a source who works with the duchess told Fox News. “Both she and the prince have shown themselves to be very comfortable operating this way — they have allowed the public into their home in a way that has never happened before.”
The two met when they were 23 at a polo match through their mutual friend Lucia Santa Cruz, per Refinery29. After things went sour with Diana, Charles resumed his former love affair with Camilla.
It wasn’t until 2005 that the couple got married. Reuters reported that Camilla helped Charles deal with his role as a key member in the royal family.
“I’d suffer anything for you. That’s love. That’s the strength of love,” Camilla told Charles in a secretly recorded telephone conversation released in 1993.
As the queen consort begins her reign, the internet is paying respects to Princess Diana.