"There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," Princess Diana famously said during her controversial 1995 BBC interview.
She was referring, of course, to Prince Charles' ongoing affair with his now-wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, who was married to her ex-husband Andrew at the time of Charles and Diana's wedding.
Diana was reportedly distrustful of Camilla from the start, and once told royal author Andrew Morton of her 1981 wedding day, "I knew she was in there, of course. I looked for her. So walking down the aisle, I spotted Camilla, pale gray, veiled pillbox hat, saw it all, her son Tom standing on a chair. To this day, you know—vivid memory" (via Good Housekeeping).
Knowing all that we know now, a certain piece of news commentary from Charles and Diana's wedding is sounding particularly icky right now. The following words were spoken by a commentator during their carriage procession down The Mall road in London, and unearthed by new documentary The Princess, which airs Aug. 13 on HBO Max.
"The escort, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Parker Bowles," the journalist narrated. "Charles and Lady Diana stayed with him and his wife Camilla in Wiltshire on two occasions at the end of the year. So they're among friends as they ride along the Mall."
Indeed, as Good Housekeeping reports, Andrew Parker Bowles, then a commanding officer, led the couple's ceremonial escort on their wedding day.
The commentator didn't seem clued into Charles and Camilla's romantic past (well, and future), but it's now very clear to all of us that Charles may have been "among friends" that day, but Diana certainly wasn't.
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
-
Olivia Rodrigo Finds the Perfect Spring Dresses at Reformation
She's worn the brand twice in the past week.
By Julia Marzovilla Published
-
Curiously, Just as Meghan Markle Sends Samples of Her New Strawberry Jam Out, the Buckingham Palace Shop Starts Promoting Its Own Strawberry Jam on Social Media
The clip promoting the Buckingham Palace Shop’s product—we cannot make this up—is set to Mozart’s “Dissonance Quartet.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Zendaya's Latest 'Challengers' Serve Is Nearly a Century Old
The 1930s-era dress may have been pulled months ago.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Princess Diana Revealed to a Royal Author the Real Reason Why Her Marriage to Prince Charles Ended Not Long Before She Died in 1997
And no, it apparently wasn’t Camilla Parker-Bowles.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Princess Diana Told Queen Elizabeth Through Tears That Her Then-Husband Prince Charles Was “A Nightmare” and That She “Hated” Him, Royal Author Claims
Ingrid Seward’s new book examines the relationship between mother and son, Her late Majesty and her heir, Charles.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
British Royal Lady Gabriella Windsor's Husband Has Died at 45
Lady Gabriella is King Charles' second cousin.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Kate Middleton Gave an Honest, Eight-Word Assessment About the First Time She Met King Charles
The King and the Princess of Wales—famously close to one another—are both currently hospitalized at The London Clinic.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Princess Diana Made a Sandringham Christmas Gaffe Because She and Prince Charles Didn't "Communicate Very Well," Commentator Says
Not great.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
How Did Queen Elizabeth Really Feel About Then-Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles’ Polarizing 2005 Wedding?
This week’s final installment of ‘The Crown’ will cover the wedding as the series wraps up for good.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Camilla Parker-Bowles Gave Kate Middleton Advice on “How to Hang Onto a Prince”—But Kate Struggled to Follow It
Camilla was “on standby” to give Kate advice in her early days of dating Prince William.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Queen Elizabeth and (Then) Prince Charles’ Relationship Suffered Because of His Relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, Andrew Morton Says
“He could love her, but he needed to leave her,” the Firm (and Her late Majesty) said at the time.
By Rachel Burchfield Published