On the eve of their wedding day, on 28 July 1981, Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles were interviewed by Angela Rippon and Andrew Gardner at Buckingham Palace, and as well as speaking about her lovely interactions and gifts from the public, Diana ended up giving a rare insight into life behind closed doors with her royal partner.
Diana spoke about not being able to attend an upcoming kindergarten firework display and when quizzed on why, she replied with a smirk and said: “I’m going to be tucked up in bed I think, early night.”
While this may have been an off-hand comment to conceal the fact that the royal couple would actually be setting sail around the Mediterranean on a 12-day honeymoon cruise on the Royal Yacht Britannia when the firework display was happening. However, the remark could strongly indicate that Diana was actually a fan of a cosy night in and going to bed early.
Sir William Heseltine, a former Private Secretary to the Queen, has confirmed that Diana did like her beauty sleep. “For Diana, the long royal evenings were agony,” he said, explaining that Diana would even break protocol and turn in for the night before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
© Photo: Getty ImagesDiana famously became a real-life ‘sleeping beauty’ during The Splendours Of The Gonzagas Exhibition Gala at the Victoria and Albert Museum on 4 November 1981, when she fell asleep in front of the world’s media. The next day, her pregnancy announcement was made, explaining the reason behind her exhaustion.
Charles, on the other hand, is known to be a bit of a night owl and frequently stays up way past midnight working, according to insiders. Which is just one way in which Charles and Diana were ultimately very different – true yin and yang.
In the same interview, the couple were quizzed on their fears about getting married and how they would handle life together. Charles confessed that he had some concerns about balancing his royal duties alongside raising a family. “This is the most difficult thing, trying to work out how you can have a family life as well as all the public demands that there are. I tend to lead a sort of idiotic existence of trying to get involved in too many things and dashing about,” the then-Prince said. “It isn’t easy, there’s so much to be done.”
Diana and Charles’ divorce
© Photo: Getty ImagesAfter over 10 years of marriage, in 1992, the pair called it quits. The statement from Diana’s team read: “The Princess of Wales has agreed to Prince Charles’ request for a divorce. The princess will continue to be involved in all decisions relating to the children and will remain at Kensington Palace with offices in St. James’s Place. The Princess of Wales will retain the title and be known as Diana, Princess of Wales.” The divorce was finalised in 1996, and one year later, Diana tragically died in France.
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