How Prince Charles Called Diana 'A Child' Despite Age Difference, Believed She’d Keep Him Young
King Charles considered Diana "exquisitely pretty but a child" at their marriage, believing her youth would keep him young despite their 12-year age difference.
![King Charles and Princess Diana (PC: Getty Images) King Charles Considered Diana To be A Pretty Child At The Time Of Their Marriage](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-07/231885758_king-charles-and-princess-diana-1-1.jpg)
The marriage of now King Charles and his former late wife, Diana, garnered significant attention at the time of their marriage, primarily because of their 12 years of age difference. Well at that time it was reported by the media outlets that then Prince Charles perceived Diana as nothing more than a child, and subsequently married her in a belief that she would keep him young.
Prince Charles believed that Diana’s youth will keep him young
It is reported that Diana was just 16 years old when she first met then-30-year-old Prince Charles. As per Inquisitr, it only took 13 meetings between the two before they ended up getting engaged on February 24, 1981. With over a decade of age difference between them, the news of their engagement became a hot topic of discussion among both the public and the media.
At that time, Charles opened up about his first meeting with Diana, revealing that he found her to be a “very jolly, amusing, and attractive 16-year-old.” As per The Guardian, Charles also didn’t hesitate to address the much talked about age difference between him and Diana, commenting that Diana’s youth would help him to be young as well.
“I think that Diana will keep me young, apart from anything else. I think I shall be exhausted,” Charles commented. Diana too then addressed the topic of age as she made it clear that she was not bothered about their 12 years of age difference. “No, I haven't somehow thought about it... I just feel you are as old as you think you are," then-Princess of Wales stated.
Prince Charles reportedly called Princess Diana a child
The royal biographer Sarah Bradford revealed during the 2022 PBS documentary Di: The Truth Behind Their Wedding, as retrieved via Oprah Daily, that then-Prince Charles considered Diana to be nothing more than a kid. As per Bradford, when Charles talked about his relationship with Diana to his friends, he tagged Diana as a pretty child, who he believed to be too young for the marriage.
“She is exquisitely pretty, a perfect poppy. But she is a child. She does not look old enough to be out of school, much less married, the royal biographer quoted. As per The New York Times, after Diana and Charles tied the knot back in 1981, the now-British king stated that Diana had turned 20 and would carry out her royal responsibilities.
On being asked if Diana is too young for such a major and difficult task, Charles replied by stating that he too started his responsibilities near the same age only. “I was about that age when I started. It's obviously difficult to start with, but you just have to plunge in,” he remarked.
Some heavy royal responsibilities were certainly bestowed upon Diana’s little shoulders right after her marriage to Charles. The royal couple pulled their marriage for almost 15 years, before separating their paths in 1996. A year later Diana died on August 31 1997 in a car crash, leaving behind her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
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