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princess diana wedding day© Photo: Getty Images

Watch: Princess Diana spotted 'looking' for Queen Consort Camilla at King Charles wedding

The late Princess of Wales had a "vivid memory" of Charles' ex-girlfriend at their wedding

Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
April 4, 2023
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Diana, Princess of Wales captured the attention of the world as she made her first appearance at her royal wedding with then-Prince Charles, but her attention was elsewhere.

The late Princess, who sadly passed away in a car crash one year after the couple's 1996 divorce, opened up about her concerns over Charles' relationship with his ex-girlfriend Camila Parker-Bowles following her split. Diana even admitted said she had a "vivid memory" of spotting Camilla in the crowds at her wedding.

But looking back, had you ever seen the moment the bride takes in her surroundings inside St Paul's Cathedral in July 1981? Watch the video below to see her "looking" for Camilla…

WATCH: Princess Diana nervously looks through the crowds at her royal wedding with King Charles

"I knew she was in there, of course. I looked for her," Diana said, according to Andrew Morton's biography Diana: Her True Story — In Her Own Words. "So walking down the aisle, I spotted Camilla, pale gray, veiled pillbox hat, saw it all, her son Tom standing on a chair. To this day you know — vivid memory."

This wasn't the only time that Camilla's presence at the royal wedding has been discussed. During Channel 5 documentary Charles and Camilla: King and Queen in Waiting, royal expert Jenny Bond said: "Diana told me much later in one of our private conversations that she had felt like a lamb to the slaughter as she walked up the aisle, which was very sad.

charles diana wedding
Princess Diana and King Charles got married at St Paul's Cathedral in 1981

"I think she knew that things weren't quite right, and when she saw Camilla in the congregation, was immediately uneasy about it."

Charles and Camilla began dating after meeting at a polo match in 1970 aged 23, but their romance cooled when the King-to-be was called away on naval duties overseas. He didn't ask his girlfriend to wait for him, and she went on to marry – and have two children – with long-standing admirer Andrew Parker Bowles. 

Charles and Camilla wed in 2005© Getty
Charles and Camilla wed in 2005

Charles remained friends with Camilla, but he went on to marry Lady Diana Spencer in July 1981 before welcoming sons Prince William and Prince Harry. Their wedding took place shortly after Diana found a gold bracelet with the letters G and F to represent Charles and Camilla's nicknames for one another – Gladys and Fred.

Camilla divorced Andrew in 1995, and Charles' divorce was finalised the year after. Charles later admitted he had committed adultery with Camilla, whom he married in 2005.

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