{"id":62538,"date":"2022-08-16T11:58:14","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T11:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=62538"},"modified":"2022-08-16T11:58:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T11:58:14","slug":"princess-diana-confronted-prince-charles-lover","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/princess-diana-confronted-prince-charles-lover\/","title":{"rendered":"The Night A Humiliated Diana Confronted Prince Charles’ Lover \u2013 And The ‘Ruthless Campaign’ To Rehabilitate Camilla’s Image After Her Death"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Diana, Princess of Wales<\/strong><\/span><\/a> confronted her husband\u2019s lover <\/span>Camilla Parker Bowles<\/strong><\/span><\/a> face-to-face at a party in 1989, and the resulting bust up sealed the end of her marriage to <\/span>Prince Charles<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The astonishing insight into the <\/span>fiery exchange<\/span><\/a> is revealed in the latest episode of the hit podcast “<\/span>The Firm: Blood, Lies and Royal Succession<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,” released on Tuesday, August 16, and is told by a man who witnessed the confrontation first hand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Former bodyguard to Diana <\/span>Ken Wharfe<\/strong><\/span><\/a> tells the <\/span>host of the podcast<\/span><\/a> that the royal clash came at a party to celebrate the 40th birthday of Camilla\u2019s sister, <\/span>Annabel Elliot <\/strong><\/span>\u2014 a bash that Camilla assumed Diana would not even attend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised that Diana would go to such an event knowing that <\/span>Camilla would be there<\/span><\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cBut nevertheless, she did, and I think this was a surprise to the Prince as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Prince and Princess arrived, it soon became clear that <\/span>none of the other guests<\/span><\/a> expected Diana to come either \u2013 and that, most humiliatingly of all, Charles and Camilla\u2019s affair was apparently public knowledge among the aristocracy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen we arrived at the house, everyone was dressed in their finery,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd once the door opened you could see this gasp of \u2018hey, how?\u2019 It was like freeze framing a slide of a movie.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He then describes what happened next \u2013 and Diana\u2019s extraordinary decision to have it out with the woman seemingly intent on ruining her marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then about an hour later I heard my name being called from outside, <\/span>and it was Diana’s voice<\/span><\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cShe said, \u2018I can’t find the Prince and <\/span>I can’t see Camilla either<\/span><\/a>. I want to go and find them.\u2019 And my answer was, \u2018Do you think this is a good idea?\u2019 She said, “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but I still want to see where they are and I want you to come with me.'”<\/span><\/p>\n

Diana and Wharfe found the adulterous couple huddled together in what he describes as a \u201cbasement area\u201d of the house \u2013 where Diana confronted Camilla.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Diana, very confidently, went across and, without any anger, it was very polite, she said, \u2018Look, please don’t treat me like an idiot. I know exactly what is going on,\u2019 expecting some sort of reply from <\/span>Camilla or at least the Prince<\/span><\/a>,\u201d he explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

Camilla\u2019s defense of her adultery remains astonishing to Wharfe, even 33 years later.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cBut Camilla then said something <\/span>which was very strange to me<\/span><\/a>,\u201d he continued. \u201cShe said, \u2018Well it’s all right for you. You’ve got two wonderful boys,\u2019 as if that might end the conversation and we’d all go back to normal, but, of course, it didn’t. And if there was ever a chance of a reconciliation, now that opportunity had gone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The marriage was to last just three more <\/span>turbulent years<\/span><\/a> before British Prime Minister <\/span>John Major<\/strong><\/span> announced their legal separation, and in August 1996, Charles and Diana\u2019s divorce was finalized.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tragically, Diana would only live another year before her shocking death in August 1997. And, as also revealed by the podcast, even as the world mourned her passing, senior members of \u201cThe Firm\u201d \u2013 the shadowy fixers and enablers who manage the royal family\u2019s brand and public image \u2013 began to plot how to rehabilitate Camilla\u2019s public image and eventual <\/span>marriage to Charles<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Diana’s tragic death, Charles had to rehabilitate Camilla who was non-negotiable in his life, so they intended to marry,\u201d explained royal commentator <\/span>Richard Fitzwilliams<\/strong><\/span>. \u201cIt was a concerted ruthless campaign with a specific purpose and it was launched by the Prince of Wales.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Fitzwilliams, the \u201ccampaign\u201d took a softly-softly approach, gradually releasing positive pictures and stories of Camilla with members of Charles\u2019 family including the <\/span>Queen<\/strong><\/span><\/a> and Princes <\/span>William<\/strong><\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Harry<\/strong><\/span><\/a> to the press over a number of years.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt had to be handled in a way that people would find acceptable bit by bit,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fact that Camilla took tea with William, the fact that the Queen happened to meet Camilla at a certain function, the fact that Charles and Camilla were seen together, and so forth. These certain things were released with specific intent to the newspapers, step-by-step. And it was done brilliantly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So brilliantly, in fact, that just eight years after Diana\u2019s death, and 16 years after her fiery exchange with a humiliated Princess of Wales, Charles and Camilla were married. And as part of her <\/span>Platinum Jubilee celebrations<\/span><\/a> this spring, the Queen even let it be known that when Charles becomes King, <\/span>she would like Camilla to be known as Queen Consort<\/span><\/a>. For Fitzwilliams, such a turnaround remains astonishing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you’d said after Diana’s death, that Charles and Camilla would be married by 2005, I don’t think you’d have found many people who believed it,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

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MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The Firm: Blood, Lies and Royal Succession”<\/strong><\/span><\/a> continues to dominate podcast charts around the world, with further episodes promising revelations about Harry and <\/span>Meghan<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u2019s split from the royal family, as well as new insight into the <\/span>fractured relationships<\/span><\/a> between Princes William and Harry. Click on the link here to listen<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26633,"featured_media":62543,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[4054,23],"yoast_head":"\nHow Princess Diana Confronted Prince Charles' Lover Camilla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Princess Diana confronted Prince Charles' lover Camilla \u2014 find out details, here.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/princess-diana-confronted-prince-charles-lover\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Night A Humiliated Diana Confronted Prince Charles' Lover \u2013 And The 'Ruthless Campaign' To Rehabilitate Camilla's Image After Her Death\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Princess Diana confronted 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