THE Queen is said to have sent a strongly-worded letter to Princess Diana telling her she should divorce Prince Charles, according to Di’s butler.
The letter was sent a few weeks after Diana gave her tell-all interview with Martin Bashir saying there were “three of us” in her marriage, referring to Charles’s affair with Camilla.
Princess Diana’s butler Paul Burrell said a royal messenger arrived at her front door carrying a letter in the Queen’s handwriting bearing the House of Windsor crest.
Paul said: “It is a myth that the Princess wanted a divorce. She never wanted a divorce, but just a separation.
“Princess Diana showed me a letter one day which was sent by The Queen. It was a letter that Royal crest of Windsor Castle.
“It was very obvious to make out that was from the Queen. It was in the Queen’s hand and her writing was shocking.
“It said: ‘I have consulted with the Archbishop of Canterbury also with the prime minister and, of course, with Charles, and we have decided that the best course for you is divorce’”.
Diana had previously insisted that she didn’t want a divorce from Prince Charles, and told Martin in 1995 how she had a “deep, profound sadness” about their separation, which took place in 1992.
After reading the letter, Diana is said to have told Paul: “That’s rich! They get to decide whether I divorce!”
Days after Diana received the letter, Buckingham Palace is said to have announced the couple would divorce.
A statement read: “after considering the present situation the Queen… gave them their view, supported by the Duke of Edinburgh, that an early divorce is desirable.”
The divorce officially went through with a “decree nisi” on August 28, 1996, around 15 years after their lavish wedding in St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981.
She was given a £17million lump sum and £350,000 a year to run her private office.
She was also allowed to keep her apartment at Kensington Palace, and Diana and Charles agreed to share custody of their sons.
Diana was stripped of her HRH title, and was later known as Diana, Princess of Wales.
Her scandalous interview with veteran Panorama journalist Martin was kept a total secret from Buckingham Palace.
She dropped a number of bombshells as she opened up about her life as a member of the Royal Family.
A staggering 22.8 million watched it, and it remains one of the highest-rated BBC programmes of all time.
Bashir asked: “Do you think Mrs Parker-Bowles was a factor in the breakdown of your marriage?”
Diana, whose head had been pointing towards the ground, looked up and replied: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
The line became infamous and one of the most explosive in an interview already full of scandal.
We shared how Prince Charles broke Princess Diana’s heart with this comment… and it’s what caused their marriage to go ‘down the drain’.
In more Princess Diana news, this is the reason why Lady Di had a secret second wedding dress… and it was lot less extravagant.
Plus, this is why Princess Diana’ sapphire engagement ring was SO controversial at the time.
