[ad_1]
The Duke of Edinburgh openly took Diana’s side in the war between his son and daughter-in-law, as shown by correspondence written by Prince Philip in 1992.
In a letter signed “with fondest love, Pa”, the prince voiced the Queen and his dismay over Charles’s love life.
He wrote: “Charles was silly to risk everything with Camilla for a man in his position.
“We never dreamed he might feel like leaving you for her.
“I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind leaving you for Camilla.
“Such a prospect never even entered our heads.”
Prince Philip also showed his sympathy and support to the People’s Princess by offering to become a mediator in the row between Diana and Charles.
The Duke wrote to Lady Di on July 7 1992: “I can only repeat what I’ve said before, if invited, I will always do my utmost to help you and Charles to the best of my ability.
“But I am quite ready to concede that I have no talent as a marriage counsellor.”
The prince’s support made an impact on Diana, according to her private secretary at the time.
Patrick Jephson said: “Here at last was written proof that this was acknowledged, recognised, and there was sympathy for her.”
However, Prince Philip let his daughter-in-law know the Crown was not blindly supporting Diana, and was aware of her mistakes.
Prince Philip wrote: “We do not approve of either of you having lovers.”
And, despite showing sympathy for Diana, the prince didn’t refrain from putting some of the blame for the failing marriage also on her.
He added: “Can you honestly look into your heart and say that Charles’s relationship with Camilla had nothing to do with your behaviour towards him in your marriage?”.
The troubled relationship between Charles and Diana was revealed to the public for the first time on the same year this correspondence took place.
In a groundbreaking tell-all book about Princess Diana, author Andrew Morton rocked the monarchy unveiling shocking details of her life, Charles’s affair with Camilla and even her personal thoughts on the Crown itself, arguing whether her husband was really fit to become the next King of Great Britain.
But 1992 almost dragged the House of Windsor to its knees also for other reasons, as it was a year filled with scandals that constantly kept the royals under the spotlight.
In March, the Royal Family had to deal with the separation of Prince Andrews and Sarah Ferguson, known as Fergie, followed in August by the “toe-sucking” scandal involving fergie and American tycoon John Bryan.
In April, Princess Anne announced her divorce from Captain Mark Phillips.
And just months later, intimate telephone conversations between the Princess of Wales and her close friend James Gilbey were published by The Sun.
In the tapes that recorded the private phone calls, Diana went as far as likening her situation to that of a character in the hit British soap opera EastEnders.
[ad_2]
