Why Princess Diana’s Family Was Jealous Of Her Marriage To Prince Charles

Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding may have been an exciting time for England but for the Spencer family, it was a time of jealousy when they realized they underestimated the young woman’s potential.

Charles married Diana in 1981 but before the two became an item, the Prince of Wales dated her sister, Lady Sarah Spencer. Although she has credit herself with introducing the couple, Sarah was reportedly less than thrilled about the relationship on their wedding day.

In Amazon Prime documentary “The Diana Story,” the Princess of Wales’ former butler Paul Burrell detailed the sibling rivalry his former employer faced. “On Diana’s wedding day her sister, Sarah, turned to her and said: ‘I thought all this was going to be mine one day, and now it’s yours.”

Burrell revealed Diana’s family didn’t think too highly of her and didn’t expect her to become more successful than her siblings.

“There was sibling rivalry in the Spencer household, Diana wasn’t meant to achieve. The fact that Diana became Princess of Wales, probably the future Queen of England, was beyond the Spencer family’s comprehension,” Burrell explained.

Instead, Diana's brother Charles Spencer was expected to be the success of the family. “So, there was always some jealousy coming from the Spencers,” he added.

In 1996, Charles and Diana divorced, the following year the Princess of Wales died in a car accident. Her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey in London, where her siblings were in attendance.