Prince Charles' Cruel Joke About Princess Diana Still Stings Today

The marital woes that plagued Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana while they were together were never kept all that private. Diana herself eventually spoke publicly about her marriage in interviews. In one such interview with the BBC, Diana delivered the infamous reason for the downfall of her marriage, referencing her then-husband's affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles. "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," she said. The princess was also incredibly candid about other factors contributing to her unhappiness in the marriage, including feeling isolated, unloved, and "a basket-case." She added that due to the "unique pressures" they faced as a couple, "it wasn't to be."

While the Prince of Wales was never as outspoken as Diana about his marriage, he didn't have the most tact when it came to hiding his true feelings towards her during public appearances. One comment that he'll never live down took place shortly after the couple got engaged. During a post-engagement Q&A, a journalist asked Charles and Diana if they were in love, as per Harper's Bazaar. Diana was the first to respond with an enthusiastic "Of course," while Charles quipped, "Whatever 'in love' means," much to the shock of everyone viewing the event. 

Unfortunately, this wouldn't be the last time that Charles would make a cruel joke at Diana's expense. During an event just a handful of years into their marriage, Charles would once again reveal his hidden contempt for the princess.

When Princess Diana and Prince Charles were on a royal tour in Vancouver, Canada in 1986, their days were long and busy with events and important visits. During one such day, the pair enjoyed The World's Fair, known as the Expo '86, where Diana fainted at one point, as revealed in the CNN docuseries "Diana" (per Newsweek). At the time, the princess was dealing with bulimia, which caused her to vomit immediately after eating and likely contributed to her feeling woozy. In tape recordings for Andrew Morton's biography on Diana, entitled "Diana: Her True Story," the princess confirmed that she had "been walking round for four hours" and "hadn't eaten for days beforehand" without throwing the food back up.

Diana reported that aides assisted her in recovering from the incident while her then-husband, Charles, insisted she attend an evening dinner reception. Instead of offering support to his wife, the Prince of Wales chose to make a joke about her eating disorder, telling attendees that Diana was "about to have sextuplets, which is really why she fainted," before adding that he was kidding. 

In the National Geographic documentary, "Diana: In Her Own Words," the princess suggested that certain other comments made by Charles at least partially triggered her eating disorder (via Insider), including him telling her that she was "a bit chubby." After dealing with the disorder for many years, Diana eventually sought therapy to address her mental health.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Despite cracks in the veneer along the course of the Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales' 11-year marriage, the public was devastated when the couple announced their separation in 1992 and their divorce four years after that. However, it seems that both Charles and Diana went into the marriage on the wrong foot. 

While the princess had gone public about her anguish over being married to a man who was in love with another woman, Charles also revealed on more than one occasion that he had trepidations prior to the wedding. Speaking specifically to biographer Robert Jobson (via Oprah Daily), the prince said, "I desperately wanted to get out of the wedding in 1981, when during the engagement I discovered just how awful the prospects were having had no chance whatsoever to get to know Diana beforehand." In Andrew Morton's biography, "Diana: Her True Story — In Her Own Words," the author quotes a similar hesitation in Diana, who told him, "I felt I was a lamb to the slaughter. And I knew it." 

Nevertheless, the marriage continued and brought with it two children, Prince William and Prince Harry, along with plenty of sadness and frustration on the part of everyone involved. Town & Country reported that when Charles and Diana finally divorced, Queen Elizabeth generously allowed the princess to keep her place in the royal family as the mother to the likely future King of the United Kingdom, although she was required to release any eventual claim to the throne.