Charles and Diana marry

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  • Intro

    It was a fairytale come true: a relatively humble English girl marrying the heir to the English throne. The wedding of Lady Diana Spencer (1961–97) and Prince Charles on 29 July 1981 was watched by 750 million people around the world, and catapulted the young woman into the public eye. Breaking with tradition, the couple kissed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. It delighted the crowds, who took the new ‘people’s princess’ to their hearts.

     

    But after what seemed a perfect start, and after producing two male heirs, the marriage fell apart. Diana was perhaps unsuited to the rigid traditions of royalty, and Charles had maintained close contact with an old friend, Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, and the following year Diana died in a car crash in Paris. Charles eventually married Camilla in 2005.

     

    Image Copyright: John Frost Newspaper Archive

     

    Shelfmark: British Library Newspaper Archive

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