During her short life, when Lady Diana spoke about her rival Camilla Parker-Bowles it was hardly words of praise. Lady Di referred to her husband King Charles III's long-time mistress as a 'Rottweiler', and even described her marriage to him as 'overcrowded' in an explosive interview. After all, King Charles' never-ending affair with Camilla Parker Bowles always played an important role in the royal couple's lives. However, a former BBC correspondent has revealed that Lady Diana also had an appreciation for the woman.
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Lady Diana's secret praise for her rival
According to former royal expert Jennie Bond, Lady Diana is said to have felt respect for Camilla Parker Bowles, despite everything. In a private conversation, she is even said to have been surprisingly appreciative of her rival.
In The Sun's Royal Exclusive Live! program, Jennie Bond revealed details of her private visits to Prince William and Harry's mother at Kensington Palace around 27 years ago for the first time. She explained:
She was complicated and confusing but I liked her a lot. She invited me to the Palace a couple of times for talks.
How Lady Diana really felt about Camilla Parker Bowles
One statement in particular turns the usual image of the two women's difficult relationship on its head. Jennie Bond recounts that Lady Diana even admired Camilla Parker Bowles to some extent. She said:
She told me she thought that Camilla was loyal and discreet.
In fact, she was even of the opinion that now Queen Camilla 'deserved' a certain amount of recognition. These statements are in stark contrast to Lady Diana's publicly expressed feelings about the affair. In her famous Panorama interview in 1995, she said:
There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.
When asked why royal expert Jennie Bond kept these surprising statements by Lady Diana to herself for so long, she clarified in the interview:
Diana said every time I left: 'Jennie, that's just between you and me'. What are you supposed to do?
For Lady Diana, Camilla Parker Bowles was 'loyal and discreet'
This is not the first time that Bond has talked about Diana's admiration for Camilla's loyalty. She told OK! Magazine exclusively:
I think Diana was absolutely right when she told me that Camilla was 'loyal' and that Charles' 'love for Camilla was stronger than any marriage he could have entered into'.
The royal commentator also has said that the Princess did acknowledge the unbreakable bond between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles:
At the end of her life, she had accepted that Charles and Camilla were very much in love.
Lady Diana did not blame Camilla for the end of the marriage
And she's not the only expert who has revealed Diana's true feelings about Camilla.
In the Sun's Royal Exclusives show, author and royal expert Ingrid Seward also spoke about a conversation she had with Lady Diana before her tragic death in 1997. She says that the Princess believed that Camilla was not the reason for the breakdown of her marriage.
She had this spectre of Camilla in her head all the time, she was obsessed with her, but the last time I spoke to her I mentioned Camilla and she said, 'Oh, it wasn't Camilla who ruined our marriage'. She said, 'It was these people around my husband'.
A year after her divorce from Prince Charles, Lady Diana apparently saw many things in a completely different light, as Ingrid Seward clarifies:
But she changed her mind and said it was the environment in which you have to have a royal marriage, you have to be very strong and probably much more mature than she was.
This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag DE.
Read more:
Princess Diana knew King Charles and Queen Camilla's marriage would be strong, royal expert claims
Princess Diana's confessions about marriage to King Charles set to be released in new memoir
Sources used:
Marie Claire: Princess Diana Allegedly Praised Queen Camilla as "Loyal and Discreet" During Charles Affair
Express: Shortly before her death, Lady Di confessed to royal expert: "It wasn't Camilla who ruined our marriage"
Ok! Magazine: 'Princess Diana told me how loyal Camilla is – the Queen clearly wants King Charles' approval'
Mirror: Princess Diana opposed Charles and Camilla’s marriage but would’ve ‘accepted’ it amid her own future plans, says expert
The Sun: Princess Diana’s PRAISE for Charles’ mistress Camilla revealed for first time leaving royal expert stunned
