When Lady Diana Spencer married then-Prince Charles on July 29, 1981, it was a fairytale wedding but their marriage did not have a fairytale ending. Former royal family employee Paul Burrell who worked closely with Charles, Princess Diana, and the late Queen Elizabeth II revealed why Diana was “very naïve” when she got married.
Paul Burrell began working in the royal household when he was 18 years old and became Queen Elizabeth II‘s personal footman. He later worked for Charles and Diana. He ended up becoming one of Diana’s closest and most-trusted confidants.
Paul Burrell said, “Did you see [Diana’s] face when the [then-Prince of Wales] was asked ‘Are you in love sir?’ and he said ‘Whatever love is.’ She turned to him and looked at him with a nervous giggle thinking, ‘Don’t you know?’ because she had fallen in love with her prince of course. Any young girl would. When she met him she was only 18 years old and he was the first man who ever showed her any true affection and she fell in love with him. She was bowled over by her prince who was going to carry her away to a beautiful future and a fairy tale castle somewhere. She was very naive.”
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“[Diana] put all her eggs in one basket and [Charles] played that game. He played it even though there was somebody in the wings and even though [Camilla] was always there and Diana knew that. She loved him and she thought she could change him. She thought her beauty, freshness, and her naivety would be attractive to Charles but it wasn’t because he was looking for someone more mature," he continued.
{{/usCountry}}“[Diana] put all her eggs in one basket and [Charles] played that game. He played it even though there was somebody in the wings and even though [Camilla] was always there and Diana knew that. She loved him and she thought she could change him. She thought her beauty, freshness, and her naivety would be attractive to Charles but it wasn’t because he was looking for someone more mature," he continued.
{{/usCountry}}“I saw that closeness with them and even though he may not have been in love with her, I think he certainly loved her. Those children [Princes William and Harry] were born out of love. And in the years that I witnessed — their early years — I saw them with the queen, at Balmoral and Sandringham whenever they came to stay and I noticed they were very close and [Diana] adored him," he shared.