Why Queen Elizabeth Felt ‘Drained’ During Prince Charles And Princess Diana’s Marriage

Prince Charles and Princess Diana attempted to hide the fact that their marriage was falling apart from the public. However, behind closed doors, Queen Elizabeth was left feeling miserable from dealing with the reality of the couple’s fractured relationship.

In the years leading up to their divorce, Elizabeth attempted to make herself available to Diana. During their gatherings, the Princess of Wales would express her feelings about her relationship with Charles. However, the monarch eventually began to dread the idea of meeting with her daughter-in-law.

In the book, “The Queen & Di: The Untold Story,” Ingrid Seward claimed Queen Elizabeth grew tired of Diana’s constant complaints. “The Queen came to dread these meetings with her daughter-in-law,” the royal biographer wrote.

“They left her feeling drained and despondent and confused - an uncommon state for a woman accustomed to the certainties of her position,” she added.

Seward claimed the stressful meetings caused Elizabeth to cut down on the number of times she would meet with Princess Diana.

From the beginning of their marriage, Diana suspected Prince Charles was carrying on an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Although many were aware of the Prince of Wales feelings for Camilla, Elizabeth reportedly resented her son’s mistress.

In the Amazon Prime documentary “Diana: The Woman Inside,” Diana’s bodyguard, Ken Wharfe claimed “Camilla never went away” to give Charles the chance to fix his relationship with his wife.

As a result, Queen Elizabeth was unhappy with Camilla for her part in destroying Charles and Diana’s marriage.

“She couldn’t forgive the Duchess of Cornwall for not giving the Prince and Princess of Wales the chance to save their marriage. She would not condone his adultery, nor forgive Camilla for not leaving Charles alone to allow his marriage to recover,” Wharfe said.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana finalized their divorce in 1996. Since the Prince of Wales married Camilla in 2005, Queen Elizabeth appears to be on better terms with her son’s second wife.