Prince Charles Left Princess Diana Alone Devastated After Father’s Sudden Death

Although the public didn’t find out about Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage troubles until 1992, the couple secretly struggled to get along for years. Before they announced their separation, Diana experienced a tragic loss.

That same year, the Princess of Wales was left devastated following the death of her father, Earl Spencer. While many expected Prince Charles to be supportive of his grieving wife, it appears he abandoned her in her time of need.

During an August 2017 episode of the podcast, “Images of Diana,” host Natasha Kaplinsky noted that the state of the couple’s marriage caused Charles to distance himself from Diana despite her father’s death.

“This was not a good year all round but definitely not a good year for Diana,” Kaplinsky said.

Royal biographer Sarah Bradford went on to explain why 1992 was a difficult year for the Princess of Wales. “No, because she loved her father very much. And she was out on holiday with Prince Charles when it happened, and they went back together, but Charles most unwillingly, he wasn’t around for her,” she shared.

“He went immediately up to Scotland as I recall. Just another underlining of how far apart they were.”

In the book, “Harry: Conversations with the Prince,” Angela Levin claimed Princess Diana learned about her father’s death while she was on vacation with Prince Charles, and their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

“She went to see her father in the hospital on Wednesday 25 March, the day before the planned holiday, to reassure herself that it was safe to leave him. The Prince of Wales was to join Diana, and their sons as an attempt at family togetherness in their increasingly cold marriage,” she wrote.

Despite the state of her fragile marriage, Princess Diana began to genuinely enjoy the family getaway. “Diana contacted the hospital every day: she was told her father was doing well and happily monitoring England’s progress in the cricket World Cup. Three days into the holiday, Diana was in an excellent mood, even laughingly offering reporters piggyback rides down the mountain,” Levin revealed.

However, Diana later received a phone call that changed the mood of the vacation. The hospital called Diana and informed her that her father suffered a heart attack at 2 p.m. and died almost instantly.

After the devastating news, Diana broke down. “Diana remained behind the closed shutters with Charles for hours, although how much comfort he was able to give her at this point in their marriage is questionable,” Levin explained.

“She wanted to return home immediately, but no plane was available, and they had to wait until the next morning,” she added.

Although Prince Charles accompanied Princess Diana back home following her father’s death, it was unclear whether he returned to support his wife, or if he felt obligated for the sake of appearances.