Why Queen Elizabeth Was "Determined Not to Be an Interfering Mother-in-Law" When It Came to Princess Diana, According to Royal Biographer
Princess Diana was just 19 years old when a 32-year-old then-Prince Charles proposed.
As a mother of four, Queen Elizabeth II had her work cut out for her, particularly when her children got married. When it came to welcoming Princess Diana into the family upon her engagement to King Charles, The Queen was apparently cautious about one thing in particular.
In his book Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. Her Story., royal author Robert Hardman wrote about The Queen's approach to being a mother-in-law to Princess Diana.
After King Charles and Princess Diana's engagement was officially announced in February 1981, Queen Elizabeth reached out to the future royal bride.
"The Queen immediately invited her future daughter-in-law to move in to Buckingham Palace to prepare for the wedding and offer her some respite from the press camped out on the doorstep of her London flat," Hardman explained.
However, Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly acutely aware of her role as a mother-in-law, and she apparently didn't want to overstep any boundaries.
Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly acutely aware of her role as a mother-in-law.
"The monarch was naturally delighted by the engagement but determined not to be an interfering mother-in-law," the royal biographer shared.
Hardman continued, "She had also assumed, naively perhaps, that a girl who knew her way around Sandringham and Balmoral could simply slot into [palace] life."
"The monarch was naturally delighted by the engagement."
Princess Diana was just 19 years old when the 32-year-old then-Prince Charles proposed. As a result, her sudden introduction to royal life must have been pretty overwhelming. Luckily, it sounds as though Queen Elizabeth attempted to welcome the young woman into the Royal Family with her kind gesture.
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