Britain watched on in joy as Princess Diana and the then-Prince Charles finally tied the knot at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London during a summer afternoon in 1981.
Yet, according to one royal biographer, Diana considered calling off the wedding a month beforehand.
Royal Biographer Reveals Secrets
In a recently published book by Ingrid Seward, a former royal biographer reveals previously unknown secrets of the strained relationship between Princess Diana and King Charles (via Brides).
The book, “My Mother and I,” states Diana planned to call off the wedding before her father convinced her otherwise.
My Mother and I
Seward’s book retells the life of King Charles and his late mother and former Queen of Britain, Elizabeth II (via People).
A portion of the book speaks on the relationship between the then-Prince Charles and his former wife, Princess Diana, who tragically died in 1997.
Problems Arising at Windsor Castle
An excerpt from the book states that with “a month to go until she married the heir to the throne,” Diana was at Windsor Castle celebrating Prince Andrew’s 21st birthday (via People).
During the evening, Diana had hoped to dance with her soon-to-be husband, yet he was preoccupied chatting to the many guests.
Prince Charles Avoids Diana at a Party
According to the book, Diana soon became aggravated as the then-Prince Charles “spent the entire evening dutifully working the room and making sure he spoke with as many people as possible.”
“Diana was in despair. Her fiance had been away in America for most of the previous week, yet he clearly had no desire to dance with her,” the excerpt continues.
Diana Begins to Dance with Men
Feeling ignored by her soon-to-be husband, Seward writes that Diana began to dance with other men in the room.
“Feeling emotionally drained, she threw herself into dancing frantically with one man after another — and finally just dancing by herself,” Seward writes.
Dancing Alone on the Castle Grounds
As the evening came to a close, Princess Diana was later found dancing alone in the castle quadrangle.
Seward writes in the book that Mark Simpson, a palace footman, saw Diana “looking exhausted and lost in her thoughts yet still moving in slow, rhythmic time to some tune in her head.”
Diana Flees to Her Father’s Home
As the excerpt continues, Seward writes that the princess decided to travel to her father’s home in Northamptonshire in the early hours of the morning.
Her father, Earl Spencer, opened the door to a woman who felt “distraught, flustered, angry and had no intention of ever going back. As far as Diana was concerned, the royal wedding was off.”
Father Angered by Diana’s Decision
“When Diana shared her plans with Spencer, he was appalled,” the book continues.
“After calming her down, he pointed out it would be an act of gross discourtesy to break off her engagement to the future king so close to the wedding.”
Never Marry a Man You Don’t Love
Following on in the book, Seward states Diana appeared to have been torn on whether or not she should marry the prince.
“And, anyway, wasn’t it what she’d always wanted? Didn’t she remember him telling her that she should only marry a man she loved — and her firm reply: ‘That is what I am doing’?” Seward added.
Diana Decides to Marry Charles
In an excerpt of the book released through The Daily Mail, Seward states that eventually, her father convinced Diana to go through with the marriage.
After “gusts of tears and spells of indecision,” the princess “allowed her father to talk her round,” wrote Seward.
The Princess of Wales
Seward goes on to mention that the young Diana said she still wanted to marry the future king and keep her title of Princess of Wales.
“She couldn’t deny that she still wanted to be the Princess of Wales. And, at 19, she was young enough still to believe in happy endings, despite what her instincts had told her on that terrible night,” Seward wrote.
