And this is exactly what happened with Diana: she met Charles and almost immediately the press discovered that he was seeing her.
It was very difficult for Charles to meet and get to know somebody. They delved into the background of all of these women, which put an awful lot of them off. “Ever since Charles was around the age of 18 the press had been looking at every girlfriend and asking, ‘could this be our next queen?’. ”īut, says Junor, pressure began to mount on Charles and Diana almost immediately.
She was fresh and naïve and full of the joys of life. And she appeared to be very uncomplicated. “So, here was this girl who appeared to be absolutely lovely perfect marriage material. Now, we should remember that by the 1980s, after the 1960s sexual revolution and the introduction of the contraceptive pill, there were very few aristocratic virgins around, and as time went by – Charles was by this point in his 30s – they were getting fewer and fewer. At the time it was thought Charles’s bride must be a virgin, an aristocrat and a member of the Church of England. “She was, on paper, absolutely perfect as a bride for him. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images) “She was funny, she was fun, everybody seemed to love her – she made everyone laugh and she seemed to adore Charles.Ī young Diana pictured in 1980.
“She seemed to be the perfect girl,” says Junor. Keen to spend more time with Diana, Charles promptly invited her to Balmoral to join him and a group of friends staying there for a summer holiday. Siblings: Lady Sarah McCorquodale (1955–present) Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes (1957–present) John Spencer, died within 10 hours of his birth on 12 January 1960 Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (1964–present)Įducated: Silfield Private School in Gayton, Norfolk Riddlesworth Hall School near Thetford West Heath Girls’ School in Sevenoaks, Kent Institut Alpin Videmanette in Rougemont, Switzerland Parents: John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer & Frances Roche Grandchildren: Prince George (born 2013) Princess Charlotte (born 2015) Prince Louis (born 2018) Archie Mountbatten-Windsor (born 2019) Born: 1 July 1961 at Park House, the home that her parents rented on Queen Elizabeth II’s estate at Sandringhamĭied: 31 August 1997, in a car accident in Paris (aged 36)Ĭhildren: Prince William (born 1982) and Prince Harry (born 1984)