Letters written by Prince Philip to Princess Diana have revealed his candid views on the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles. The Duke of Edinburgh reportedly described his son as 'silly' for risking his marriage over his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, stating that no one 'in their right minds' would leave Diana.
The correspondence, uncovered in 2003 and detailed in Ingrid Seward's book 'Prince Philip: Revealed', showed the Duke was 'firmly on Diana's team'. In one letter, Prince Philip wrote: 'Charles was silly to risk everything with Camilla for a man in his position. I cannot imagine anyone in their right minds leaving you for Camilla.'
Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation in 1992, following years of speculation. Prime Minister John Major informed the House of Commons that the couple had decided to separate 'amicably'. The decision came shortly after the publication of Andrew Morton's biography 'Diana: Her True Story', which detailed the Princess's struggles in a 'loveless marriage'.
The couple married in 1981 in a televised ceremony watched by 750 million people. They had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. However, cracks appeared due to differing interests and a 12-year age gap. In 1995, Diana gave an explosive interview to BBC journalist Martin Bashir, where she famously said 'there were three of us in this marriage', referring to Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Following the interview, the Queen wrote to both Charles and Diana requesting a divorce. Prince Charles later married Camilla in 2005. Princess Diana died in 1997 at age 36 in a car accident in Paris, while being pursued by paparazzi.
