Prince Charles’ Insistence On Stripping Princess Diana's Title Might Have Led To This

Despite having two kids, Prince William and Prince Harry, with Prince Charles, Princess Diana’s marriage to the heir apparent still didn’t work out and eventually ended in a divorce in 1996. However, Princess Di lost more than just a royal husband that day. She lost something else that some people believe might have contributed to her death in a car crash.

If Princess Diana had her way, divorcing Prince Charles is not part of her plans at all. Despite her husband’s cheating with Camilla Parker-Bowles back then, the princess still loved her husband and didn’t want something as permanent as divorce.

“She wasn’t the one who wanted to separate or divorce,” her personal trainer, Jenni Rivett, revealed. “She was sad about it. She wanted to be a loving wife.”

However, it was Queen Elizabeth II who stepped in and ordered a divorce after Diana’s interview aired on television where she questioned Charles’ moral character to be king. Upon receiving the Queen’s letter ordering a divorce, Diana was reportedly furious. “That’s rich!” she told her butler Paul Burrell. “They get to decide whether I divorce!”

As part of their divorce settlement, Diana received a £17-million lump sum, as well as a £350,000 annual allowance for her private office. In addition, the ex-couple agreed to share custody of Prince William and Prince Harry, and Diana was even allowed to keep her Kensington Palace apartments.

But there’s one thing that Prince Charles demanded — that Diana be stripped of her title of Her Royal Highness. “While the Queen was said to be happy for her to keep the title, bearing in mind that she was the mother of a future king, Charles was reportedly adamant that she lose it,” Mirror wrote.

Losing her HRH title was actually very emotionally devastating for Diana as it demoted her status. Palace staff members are no longer required to curtsy to her like before. And worse, she is now required to curtsy to her sons, Prince Charles and even minor royals.

Losing the title also meant that Diana also lost the royal protection she previously enjoyed. “The tragic irony is that, if Diana had not been stripped of the HRH title on the day she divorced, she might still be alive today,” Mirror wrote.

“Losing her HRH status also meant losing the Royal protection that went with it, which may have prevented the Princess from being in a speeding car being pursued by paparazzi on that fateful night,” the publication added.