Charles, Prince of Wales

:Prince Charles redirects here. For other people known as Prince Charles, see Prince Charles (disambiguation).

First marriage

On 29 July 1981, the Prince of Wales and the Lady Diana were married at St Paul's Cathedral before 3,500 invited guests and an estimated 750 million people around the world. All of Europe's crowned heads attended (except for Juan Carlos of Spain, who was advised not to attend because the couple's honeymoon would involve a stop-over in the disputed territory of Gibraltar). So, too, did most of Europe's elected heads of state, with the notable exceptions of Karamanlis of Greece, who declined to go because Greece's exiled King, Constantine II, a personal friend of the Prince, had been described in his invitation as "King of Greece" (the technically correct description of an exiled monarch who hadn't abdicated), which infuriated Greek republicans, and Ireland's Patrick Hillery, who was advised by Irish Prime Minister Charles J. Haughey not to attend because of Britain's role in Northern Ireland.

Related Topics:
29 July - 1981 - St Paul's Cathedral - Juan Carlos of Spain - Gibraltar - Karamanlis - Constantine II - Patrick Hillery - Charles J. Haughey - Northern Ireland

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By marriage to the heir-apparent, the Lady Diana received both a title (Princess of Wales) and the style of "Her Royal Highness"; though she was commonly called "Princess Diana", this form of address is incorrect. They made their homes at Highgrove in Gloucestershire and at Kensington Palace. Almost immediately, the Princess of Wales became a star attraction, chased by the paparazzi, her every move (including changes in hair-style) followed by millions.

Related Topics:
Princess of Wales - Style - Highgrove - Gloucestershire - Kensington Palace

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However, the marriage soon hit the proverbial rocks. Critics of the Princess of Wales alleged that she was unstable and temperamental; one by one she sacked each of the Prince of Wales's longstanding staff members and fell out with numerous friends (her father, mother, brother, the Duchess of York, Elton John, her own staff—who quit after rows). The Prince of Wales, too, was blamed for the marital troubles. Within five years of the wedding the fairytale Wales marriage was already on the brink of collapse. Ironically, the Prince and Princess of Wales were similar in some respects: Both had had troubled childhoods. Both took their public roles seriously and devoted much of their time to charity work, becoming highly regarded for it. (The Princess of Wales notably devoted much time to helping AIDS sufferers, while the Prince of Wales devoted much effort to marginalised groups in urban centres through his Prince's Trust charity).

Related Topics:
Elton John - AIDS - Prince's Trust

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Both partners subsequently admitted to extra-marital affairs, he with Mrs Parker Bowles, she with an army officer, amongst many others. Though they remained publicly a couple, they effectively had separated by the late 1980s, he living in Highgrove, she in Kensington Palace. The media noted their increasing periods apart and their obvious discomfort at being in each other's presence. Evidence and recriminations of infidelity aired in the news media. By 1992, it was obvious that the marriage was over in all but name. The couple formally separated, with media sources taking different sides in what became known as the "War of the Waleses".

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The marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales formally ended in divorce on 28 August 1996. It had produced two sons, HRH Prince William of Wales, and HRH Prince Henry of Wales who is known by the name 'Harry'.

Related Topics:
28 August - 1996 - HRH Prince William of Wales - HRH Prince Henry of Wales

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Death of the Princess of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car accident in 1997. The Prince of Wales earned considerable praise for his handling of the events and their aftermath, in particular his over-ruling of palace protocol experts (and indeed the Queen) who argued that as Diana, Princess of Wales was no longer a member of the Royal Family, the responsibility for her funeral arrangements belonged to her blood relatives, the Spencers. The Prince of Wales, against advice, flew to Paris to accompany his ex-wife's body home and insisted that she be given a formal royal funeral; a new category of formal funeral was specially created for her. His role as a single father earned much sympathy, in particular in how he handled a crisis when it was revealed that his younger son, Prince Harry, had dabbled in soft drugs. From unpopularity in the early 1990s, the Prince of Wales became one of the more popular members of the Royal Family.

Related Topics:
Protocol - Prince Harry

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