The fairy tale was allegedly collapsing before the cake was even sliced at Princess Diana and King Charles’ wedding, which was one of the most spectacular and captivating weddings ever. King Charles III reportedly sobbed the night before his 1981 wedding to Princess Diana because he was still deeply in love with Camilla, his present wife and ex-girlfriend, rather than because he was happy.
However, he wasn’t the only one crying. Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that they both cried, and that Diana had cried the night before her wedding due to heartbreak.
Despite Diana’s reluctance to marry Charles, her sister told her that it was too late. The tea towels with their joint photos on them were already for sale. Charles was given cufflinks featuring Camilla’s emblem to include her, which he wore on his wedding day and which apparently made him cry, Turner added.
There is historical evidence of Charles’s long-standing affection for Camilla, and there have never been any royal rumors about it. The latest set of comments, however, emphasizes how reluctant Charles was to marry Diana in the first place. According to historian Sally Bedell Smith and People magazine, Charles wept in private the night before the wedding because he was torn between his personal love and his royal duty.
It was necessary to marry a young, virginal woman who was descended from aristocracy.Camilla was not a choice because she was divorced and deemed inappropriate by the monarchy and the Church of England.
Diana was a monarchy asset, but King Charles saw her like an enemy. It was always about his obsession with Camilla, not the monarchy. This trip demonstrates how much Meghan Markle, Diana, and Prince Harry needed but were discarded.#NotMyKingpic.twitter.com/qFrJJYgv6h #GoodKingHarry
Carmella October 23, 2024 (@Sussex5525)
Nevertheless, Charles managed to keep her near to his heart: he reportedly wore cufflinks engraved with Camilla Semime on the wedding day, which may be read as a tacit declaration of defiance or hopelessness.
According to royal analyst Hilary Fordwich, who spoke to Fox News, Charles felt pressed into marriage by Prince Philip and other senior royals who wanted him to carry out his duty. His godmother, Patricia Mountbatten, reportedly warned him against marrying Diana since she was aware of his romantic relationship with Camilla.
Diana considered calling off the wedding a few times, but she felt pressured by expectations and overly committed. To be honest, I think her family failed her as well. She claimed that I felt like a lamb to the slaughter the night before the wedding. I was aware of it, but there was nothing I could do about it.rYPknSExOg pic.twitter.com/
July 30, 2025, Zandi Sussex (@ZandiSussex)
Even on the honeymoon, tensions persisted.Diana’s anguish and worries increased when she found a bracelet that Charles had ordered for Camilla. The emotional distance was exacerbated by Diana’s growing mental health problems, including bulimia, significant age differences, and opposing hobbies.
Although the princess was bulimic and angst-ridden in private, the people liked her from the beginning, royal analyst Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News. The catastrophe was summed up in one vicious quote from Diana’s well-known 1995 BBC interview: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
