Why King Charles and Princess Diana ‘Just Clicked’ When They Met: ‘There Was a Period of Great Love’

Four months after the death of Princess Diana, her ex-husband, Prince Charles, wrote to a friend about the “unbearable emptiness” he felt. He said he “longed to wave a magic wand to transform the situation” and relieve his “bewilderment and confusion.”

Diana and Charles endured one of the 1990s most acrimonious divorces, but they both separately acknowledged that their 1981 marriage began in love. “There was a period of great love between them,” says royal biographer Ingrid Seward. “And she wanted the boys [Prince William and Prince Harry] to know that.”

The couple were first introduced by Diana’s sister Sarah McCorquodale in 1977 and began dating three years later. “They just clicked,” said Sarah. “They have the same giggly sense of humor, and they both love ballet and opera and sport in all forms. It’s perfect, and they are both over the moon about it.”

Charles was smitten with Diana, a blue blood who was working as a nursery school assistant. “He saw all the things that the world saw — her beauty and her down-to-earth charm,” says an insider. Diana also found Charles very appealing. “She liked his outdoorsy side, and he didn’t seem stuffy at all. He was quite likable and fun to be around.”

Diana and Charles’ Lives Changed After Starting a Family

The couple wed in 1981 and celebrated William’s arrival the following year. They enjoyed the happiest times of their marriage during Diana’s pregnancy with Harry. Speaking to biographer Andrew Morton, Diana recalled the summer of 1984 as “the closest we’ve ever, ever been and ever will be.”

Those times would come to an end, but the memory left an imprint on both their hearts. “[Diana] really wanted people to know that she loved Charles and he loved her.”