A new book claims that Prince Charles was so plagued with doubt about his marriage to Princess Diana that he had cold feet on the eve of their wedding.
The claims come from an unofficial biography about the Prince being released this week, by Time magazine journalist Catherine Mayer.
Titled Charles: The Heart of A King, the book claims that both Charles and Diana had considered calling off the wedding ahead of the big day. Quoting a member of the Prince’s inner circle, the book claims that on the eve of the wedding in 1981 the Prince “was desperate”.
It is claimed that because Diana was a vulnerable, complex character, who came complete with an already developed eating disorder, she was “not the jolly country girl he had assumed.”
Charles reportedly told his confidant: “I can’t go through with it…I can’t do it.”
Prince Charles still feels ongoing guilt over Diana
The same source is quoted as telling biographer Catherine that: “I always told him afterwards that if it had been a Catholic marriage, it could have been declared null. Because he wasn’t really [committed], because she started with the bulimia and everything before the wedding.”
Lady Diana had previously told her own biographer Andrew Morton that she confided in her sisters, telling them: “I can’t marry him, I can’t do this, this is absolutely unbelievable.”
Morton claims they told her though that it was too late to pull out because “your face is [already] on the tea towels”.
The new book by Catherine Mayer, which Charles is reportedly “furious” over, claims though that Diana: “had no idea her bridegroom also had to be coaxed to the altar.”
Without even having hit bookshelves yet, the new book has already stirred up controversy for addressing concerns, reportedly even held by the Queen herself, about whether Charles would be able to sustain the monarchy as ruler.
An excerpt from the new book says: “In defining his role as heir apparent, the prince has signalled a redefinition of the monarchy. Some courtiers – and the sovereign herself – fear that neither the Crown nor its subjects will tolerate the shock of the new.”
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It examines Charles and Diana’s marriage and how, as it deteriorated, Diana grew stronger and ever-more popular in the public eye while Charles felt he was growing weaker and less popular.
“The prince felt under pressure from all directions: Diana, his parents, the press,” the book claims.
Clarence House has commented on the book with a spokeswoman saying: “This is not an official biography, therefore, we have no comment to make.”
The book’s claims come not long after a “long standing courtier” revealed that Charles, 66, still feels guilty for bringing Diana into the pressure-cooker environment that is the royal household.
“When Diana died, his instinctive reaction was to feel a terrible guilt because of everything that had led to that dreadful moment,” the insider told The Daily Mail.
“… he does still feel guilty, of course, is that it was him who brought Diana into the royal world and a life she couldn’t handle.”
In regard to the legacy of the Crown, Diana’s brother Earl Spencer has also stated he believes that it is Charles and Diana’s sons, William and Harry, and their enormous popularity, that will ultimately be the saving grace for the monarchy.
“I think that they are unbelievable ambassadors for the country and also for their mother. So the legacy that she left, from fine mothering, is very evident in both of her sons,” he told The Daily Beast.
Earl Spencer has previously stated that he thinks the monarchy would be lucky to last another century: “Given the popularity of William and Harry, and William’s family, I could see it going on for another hundred years.”
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