Tuesday 28 July 2020

July 29 - Marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana

This Day in History: 29 June 2020

 

29 June 1981

 

39 years ago, today, Prince Charles of Great Britain, heir to the throne, married Lady Diana Spencer. The couple were married in a grand ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral with 2,650 guests, while nearly one billion more watched from their televisions. However, the fairy-tale couple grew apart quickly, and the two announced a separation in 1992. Queen Elizabeth urged the couple to divorce in 1996, before they reached a final agreement. Diana agreed to surrender her title of 'Her Royal Highness' if she could retain the right to her apartments at Kensington Palace, and her title of 'princess'. She also gave up any future claims to the British throne.

 

In the year following the divorce, Diana was killed with her companion Dodi Fayed in a car accident in Paris. Tests conducted by French police showed that the driver, who had also died, was intoxicated and most likely caused the accident trying to escape paparazzi photographers. Almost a decade later, Prince Charles wed his long-time mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles. Although Camilla became the Princess of Wales with the marriage, she prefers the title 'Duchess of Cornwall', in respect for Diana. In response to public opinion polls showing resistance to the idea of a Queen Camilla, she announced her intention to use the title 'Princess Consort' if Charles should become king.

 

Want to find out more about the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana? Click here for more information, or here for a video about the secrets of their relationship.

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