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    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Princess Diana Believed She Could Have "Conquered the World" With King Charles If One Thing Changed in Their Relationship, Per Royal Expert

    "They probably would have made it work..."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 27 September 2026 In News

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    King Charles wears naval uniform and Princess Diana wears a white pinstripe outfit with a matching hat on a boat in La Spezia, Italy, April 20, 1985.
    (Image credit: David Levenson/Getty Images)
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    With the release of Earl Spencer's new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Princess Diana is making headlines once more. As a result, royal experts have been sharing their own insights into Diana's relationship with King Charles and how the princess really felt about her marriage.

    During Hello! magazine's live episode of "A Right Royal Podcast," royal expert and editor Ingrid Seward opened up about her friend Princess Diana.

    "He did love her," Seward said of King Charles's feelings for Diana. "He may not have loved her in the very beginning, and he may not have loved her by the end, but he felt so bad that he couldn't make the marriage work."

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    According to the royal expert, "[Charles] was plagued by guilt because he knew he was the one who should have made it work. But her intense jealousy and many, many other things...they were just not suited at the time."

    Swan Song

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    Princess Diana wearing a black strapless gown standing next to Prince Charles wearing a tuxedo on a staircase in 1981

    "Charles was plagued by guilt because he knew he was the one who should have made it work."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    According to Seward, Princess Diana allegedly believed that one particular thing could have made a huge difference in their relationship.

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    According to the royal expert, "But Diana also said to me she thought if they'd met when they were older, they probably would have made it work and conquered the world; that's what she loved to say."

    Seward also noted, "She actually told me that she really loved Charles. He was the one she would always love."

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    Princess Diana wearing a pink dress and tiara looking away from Prince Charles, wearing a tux

    "Diana also said to me she thought if they'd met when they were older, they probably would have made it work."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    The royal editor claimed that Diana told her, "It's very important to me, Ingrid, that my boys know that their father loved me. It's really, really important."

    Seward also shared that Diana thought of Charles as "the one that got away."

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    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.

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