How Princess Diana ‘Forced’ Prince Charles To Be Her ‘Father Figure’ But He Failed

Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage was far from being a fairytale. In fact, the late royal had some expectations from Prince Charles that the heir to the throne was unable to deliver.

In the book “The Queen And Di: The Untold Story,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward said that Princess Diana wanted Prince Charles to do so many things for her. For instance, the mom of two wanted the future king to be proud of her achievements.

Princess Diana also wanted Prince Charles to encourage and congratulate her on being a successful member of the royal family. Seward acknowledged the fact that Prince Charles should have done everything that Princess Diana wanted him to do except for one thing.

“But Diana also wanted him to be what she called a ‘father figure’ and that was not a role Charles was capable of performing for a young woman whose needs were so consuming,” Seward said. “Charles also suspected that she was deliberately trying to poach his limelight. And so she was and she did it blatantly,” she added.

Princess Diana didn’t only feel a sense of isolation from Prince Charles. But she also experienced the same thing from the members of the royal family. Following the royal couple’s wedding, Prince Charles and Princess Diana went on a honeymoon in Balmoral. While there, they had to interact with some members of the royal family.

In the book “The Duchess: The Untold Story,” royal author Penny Junor said that Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s honeymoon was a disaster because the couple soon realized that they really had nothing in common.

“She hated the countryside, hated his family’s passion for horses and dogs, hated the rain that poured down remorselessly; and she felt that her husband was avoiding intimate contact,” Junor said. “She was raging and getting no meaningful reassurance from Charles,” she added.

And during the holiday season, Prince Charles and Princess Diana also spent time in Balmoral. Seward said that Prince William and Prince Harry’s mom also struggled with the Christmas rituals that were being practiced by Prince Charles’ family.