King Charles Expresses Profound Grief for Princess Diana Despite Tumultuous Divorce
King Charles, despite his tumultuous marriage with Princess Diana, harboured deep and sincere emotions for her, as revealed in newly unearthed letters.
The Daily Mail has disclosed a three-page handwritten letter from the monarch, dated December 8, 1997, written on Highgrove House letterhead and signed “Charles.” The letter, delivered personally according to the then-Prince’s instructions, unveils a seldom-seen side of King Charles as he mourns Diana’s tragic passing.
Princess Diana died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, at the age of 36. Just four months later, Charles wrote of his "unbearable emptiness" in the wake of her death. Addressing his friend Peter, who was grieving the loss of “dear Liz,” Charles conveyed his empathy and shared in Peter’s sorrow.
“My heart bleeds for you as I can imagine so well the utter agony and despair you must have gone through during all these heart-rendering months that you have known about Liz’s illness,” he wrote. He expressed a desperate wish to “wave a magic wand to transform the situation” and alleviate the “bewilderment and confusion that accompanies the removal of someone so young from the world.”
This rare admission of Charles' grief for Diana is striking, considering their marriage ended in a messy split, largely due to Charles' ongoing relationship with his former girlfriend and now-wife, Camilla. Diana had publicly alleged that Charles continued his affair with Camilla during their marriage.
