Charles lacked ‘coolness'
Despite their instant attraction and vast age difference, Charles and Diana would not see each other again for three years after that fatal guided tour. It was 1980 when they did the next thing. The timing was not ideal: Charles' great-uncle and confidant, Lord Mountbatten, had recently been slain by Irish radicals. As she watched the funeral, Diana was moved to tears and tried to console the Prince with nice, heartfelt words. According to Diana, Charles allegedly retaliated by “leaping on her.” She'd never had a boyfriend before, but she recalls thinking to herself, “This isn't very cool.”
A strange courtship
Uncool or not, this is when the couple's romance really took off. A brief but intense courtship began, although it appears Charles wasn't exactly a pro. When Diana was taking public speaking lessons from voice coach Peter Settelen, he videotaped her discussing her personal life. The whole tapes were never made public, but portions illustrate how the future Princess of Wales assessed Charles' courting skills. She stated that there were times when he called her every day and others when they didn't speak for three weeks. It was strange, yet she cherished every phone call.