Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s Relationship Timeline From their first encounter to their tragic end, here’s every relationship milestone in Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s complex history

Prince Charles and Princess Diana‘s love may not have stood the test of time, but their stories will forever be intertwinedThe couple were first introduced in 1977 by Princess Diana’s sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale(née Spencer), who recounted the moment to The New York Times. “He met Miss Right and she met Mr. Right,” Sarah said. “They just clicked. They have the same giggly sense of humor, and they both love ballet and opera and sport in all forms. It’s perfect, and they are both over the moon about it.”

It wasn’t until three years later that Charles and Diana met again and began dating. After a whirlwind courtship, the pair wed in a lavish and highly publicized ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. But Diana would later reveal to her astrologer, Penny Thornton, that the wedding almost didn’t happen.

“One of the most shocking things that Diana told me was that the night before the wedding, Charles told her that he didn’t love her,” Thornton said in an ITV documentary. “I think Charles didn’t want to go into the wedding on a false premise. He wanted to square it with her and it was devastating for Diana. She didn’t want to go through with the wedding at that point, she thought about not attending the wedding.”

Instead, Diana said her vows but later stated it was the “worst day of [her] life” to her friend and voice coach, Peter Settelen. “If I could write my own script I would have my husband go away with [Camilla Parker Bowles] and never come back,” she said in a recording per The Independent, which was released as part of a Channel 4 documentary.

The couple would go on to share a tumultuous 15 years together, during which they welcomed two sons, Prince William in 1982 and Prince Harry in 1984.

The union was one marred by jealousy: In 1995, Diana told the BBC that Charles resented the attention she received from the public.

By 1986, the couple’s relationship was seemingly beyond the point of repair. That year, Charles wrote in a letter that he felt “in a kind of cage … longing to be free,” according to AP News. Diana’s former riding instructor, ex-army Major James Hewitt, later claimed that he had begun an affair with her around the same time.

The couple separated in 1992 and their divorce was finalized just one year before Diana’s death on Aug. 31, 1997, when she was tragically killed in a car crash.

From their lavish wedding to raising two sons in the spotlight, here is a timeline of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s relationship.

1977: Prince Charles and Diana Spencer are introduced by Lady Sarah

The Prince of Wales and the former nanny first made each other’s acquaintance at Althorp, the Spencer family home, as Diana would later recall to the BBC. “It was 1977. Charles came to stay as a friend of my sister Sarah for a shoot,” she said, joking, “We sort of met in a plowed field.”

I remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was,” Charles, who was 29 at the time of their introduction, recalled. “I mean, great fun, and bouncy and full of life and everything.”

When asked about her first impression of Charles, Diana simply replied, “Pretty amazing.”

 

November 14, 1978: Diana attends Prince Charles’ 30th birthday party

Despite seemingly hitting it off during their first meeting, it would be more than a year before Charles began courting Diana. In the meantime, Charles briefly dated Diana’s sister.

In audio recordings made by Diana at Kensington Palace, which would ultimately serve as the basis for her 1992 biography, she recalled attending Charles’ 30th birthday dance on Nov. 14, 1978. “I had a very nice time at the dance — fascinating,” she reportedly recounted in the audio files.

July 1980: Prince Charles and Diana bond at the home of a mutual friend

Diana received an invite from mutual friend Philip de Pass to stay at his home in July 1980, when Prince Charles would also be staying.

‘Would you like to come and stay for a couple of nights down at Petworth [in West Sussex, England], because we’ve got the Prince of Wales staying,’ ” she remembered de Pass saying, per the Daily Mail. “‘You’re a young blood — you might amuse him.’ So I said: ‘OK.’ “

During their stay, Charles and Diana bonded over his grief at the loss of his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten, the Daily Express reported.

 

1980: Prince Charles courts Diana

After that trip, the Prince of Wales continued to court the young Diana. “We met 13 times and we got married,” she revealed in her tapes, according to ABC News.

Charles told the BBC he “gradually” knew that Diana was “the one” in their engagement interview.

“I suppose towards the end of the summer, the autumn, last year,” Charles said. “I began to realize what was going on in my mind, and hers, in particular. And all these things help. But you know, it was a gradual business.”

February 1981: Prince Charles proposes to Diana

Prince Charles popped the question to his future bride during a private dinner at Buckingham Palace in early February 1981. He would later recount the event to the BBC during their engagement interview.

“I asked Diana before she went to Australia,” he said. “Two or three days before. I thought it would be a good idea … if she went to Australia she could then think about it, and if she didn’t like the idea she could say she didn’t, or if she did, she could say that.”

The future princess later shared that saying “yes” was the obvious choice. “I had a long time to think about it because I knew the pressure was on both of us,” she said. “It wasn’t a difficult decision in the end. It’s what I wanted. It’s what I want.”

February 24, 1981: Prince Charles and Diana announce their engagement

The couple shared their happy news with the world on Feb. 24, 1981, with a formal announcement by the palace. “It is with the greatest pleasure that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh announce the betrothal of their beloved son the Prince of Wales to the Lady Diana Spencer, daughter of Earl Spencer and the Honourable Mrs. Shand Kydd,” the statement read.The pair also posed for photos, with Diana wearing the famous sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring — which now belongs to Kate Middleton — and spoke to the BBC about their state of mind.

I’m] delighted and happy. I’m amazed that she’s been brave enough to take me on,” Prince Charles said.

When asked if they were in love, Diana replied, “Of course,” while Charles replied, “Whatever in love means” — an answer that “traumatized” his 19-year-old fiancée, she would later divulge.

June 13, 1981: Diana attends her first Trooping the Colour ceremony with Prince Charles

Princess Diana broke the “no ring, no bring” policy at the 1981 Trooping the Colour ceremony. She attended the event one month ahead of her wedding to Prince Charles.

The day took a dark turn when 17-year-old Marcus Simon Sarjeant fired blanks at Queen Elizabeth until he was wrestled to the ground by police. This incident led to security concerns for Charles and Diana’s upcoming wedding.

 

July 29, 1981: Prince Charles and Princess Diana are married

The duo tied the knot in an epic event that would be declared a public holiday and cost the palace a jaw-dropping $48 million, according to Smithsonian magazine. They exchanged their vows at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, making Diana the first British woman to marry an heir to the throne in 300 years.

A crowd of 3,500 people waited outside the cathedral, and more than 600,000 people lined the streets in hopes of catching a glimpse of the newlyweds. Meanwhile, 7.5 million more tuned in at home to watch the nuptials.

The bride wore an ivory silk and antique lace gown by David and Elizabeth Emanuel that featured a record-breaking 25-foot train and 10,000 mother of pearl sequins.

Their vows broke tradition, as Diana elected, with Charles’ support, to omit the word “obey” from the traditional vows, The New York Times reported. Though Charles and Diana didn’t share a kiss during the ceremony, they made up for it when they shared a public liplock on the Buckingham Palace balcony.