Rare Photos Of Charles And Diana Show The New King In A Different Light
King Charles III acceded to the throne on September 8, 2022, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. And because he spent an incredible 73 years as heir apparent, people have a very long and very complicated history with their new king. Of course, a huge part of this stems from his controversial marriage to Princess Diana. These pictures reveal an often overlooked side to their famously tumultuous relationship.
Early days, Scotland, 1981
Charles and Diana announced their engagement in February 1981. During an interview with the BBC, the future King said he was "delighted and frankly amazed" that Diana was "prepared" to marry him. But then he annoyed his bride-to-be when he answered the question of whether the couple was truly in love. "Whatever in love means," he replied.
With Grace Kelly at a fundraiser, 1981
Here, we see a young — and very glam — looking Diana and Charles at their first public outing since their engagement. In between them is the beautiful Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. Charles once said to the BBC, "I think that Diana will keep me young, apart from anything else. I think I shall be exhausted. No, I haven't somehow thought about it. I mean, it's only 12 years, and lots of people have got married with that sort of age difference. I just feel you are as old as you think you are."
With the Queen at Buckingham Palace, 1981
In 1981 Charles conducted a BBC Radio interview to celebrate his engagement to Diana. "She had planned to go to Australia quite a long time before anyway with her mother, and I thought, 'Well, I'll ask her then so that she'll have a chance of thinking it over when she's away and saying I can't bear the whole idea - or not, as the case may be.' But in fact, [she] accepted."
Official engagement photos, 1981
Charles and Diana posed for their first official photos in 1981 after announcing their engagement. In the lovely snapshots, which were taken on the grounds of Buckingham Palace, Charles looks smart in a suit and tie, while Diana dons a striking cobalt blue outfit. But Charles was deliberately positioned to appear taller than Diana — even though they're actually the same height!
