The Prince and Princess of Wales have rewritten the royal rule book with a happy and loving union
WORDS: REBECCA RUSSELL PHOTOS: GETTY, MATT PORTEOUS
WEDDED BLISS
It would go down in history as one of the most famous royal interviews of all time… for all the wrong reasons. When the future King Charles announced his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer 43 years ago on 24 February 1981, the public hung on to every word as he uttered the immortal phrase “whatever ‘in love’ means” when told they looked “very much in love” during a joint interview.
And, while it was our first introduction to the shy young woman who would go on to captivate the world and become “the People’s Princess”, few could have foreseen the struggles that were to come.
The marriage was arranged in all but name, thanks to Diana’s suitability and background, but the union – and its subsequent breakdown – has gone on to serve as a warning for couples, including their son and his wife, the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Instead of a marriage of convenience, William and Kate’s life together is based on genuine love and respect – something that has stood the couple in good stead to weather any storm, support one another in their high-pressured roles and set a stable example for their three young children.
“The contrast in these two marriages starts right at the beginning,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond tells OK!.
“Charles was the 32-year-old heir to the throne who needed a wife. The pressure on him from the media and public was intense. Diana Spencer was 19, innocent and hugely flattered by the flirtatious attention of a prince.
“They had almost nothing in common, and, by his own admission, Charles was unsure of exactly what ‘love’ was. They had a whirlwind courtship, during which Diana claimed she still called Charles ‘sir’, and were engaged and married within a matter of months.
“Contrast this with William and Kate, who are just months apart in age, and met as young students in Scotland. They were friends first, enjoying the rough and tumble of student life, and then discovered love together. But it was almost 10 years before they married, which gave Kate every opportunity to examine the life she would have as a royal.
“They lived together, loved together, even split up to find out what life was like apart – always a telling test of the true strength of a relationship.”
The long run-up that allowed Kate, 42, to see
