One Royal "Cried Nonstop" When Visiting Queen Elizabeth "Unannounced," According to Royal Biographer

"They cried three times in a half hour while waiting to see you."

Queen Elizabeth looks shocked while wearing black gloves and a large embroidered hat
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth presided over the British monarchy for 70 years. During that time, the monarch raised a family, become a grandparent, and witnessed her children going through divorces. As a result, the late Queen reportedly became used to royal relatives crying in her presence.

According to royal author Ian Lloyd, in his book The Queen: 70 Chapters in the Life of Queen Elizabeth II, the former monarch had some unexpected encounters with the spouse of one of her kids.

"By the mid-1980s, Charles had resumed his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles and Diana had embarked on an affair with former cavalry officer James Hewitt," per Lloyd. "Although she professed being 'terrified' of her mother-in-law, Diana took to calling on The Queen unannounced to pour out her heart to her."

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Per the biographer, "Sometimes, The Queen's schedule meant the princess had to wait. One footman later reported to The Queen, 'The princess cried three times in a half hour while waiting to see you.'" Not missing a beat, the former monarch reportedly responded by saying, "I had her for half an hour and she cried non-stop."

Princess Diana wearing a yellow suit standing next to Queen Elizabeth in a lavender suit

"Diana took to calling on The Queen unannounced to pour out her heart to her."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Lloyd also noted that Queen Elizabeth didn't immediately bond with King Charles's first wife.

"The Queen and [Prince Philip] welcomed [Princess Diana] into the family in their own, no-nonsense way," the royal biographer shared. "Elizabeth, however, struggled to find much in common with the new Princess of Wales and admitted she couldn't understand her personality."

Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth wearing blue

"I had her for half an hour and she cried non-stop."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Due to the very public nature of the breakdown of Charles and Diana's marriage, the former Princess of Wales's alleged emotional outbursts were entirely understandable. Still, it's clear that not many people were so vulnerable in front of Queen Elizabeth.

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.