“Whatever ‘in love means”
The world celebrated when Prince Charles, the future king, announced his engagement to Diana Spencer in 1981. Diana, who was only 19 then, appeared to be a breath of fresh air in the stuffy Royal Family. Everyone saw the future Queen Consort in her. Everyone, with the possible exception of Charles. The reporter asked them about being in love during their engagement announcement interview. “Of certainly,” Diana said immediately. “Whatever ‘in love means,” Charles continued, laughing. Awkward blunder? Perhaps, but it would be a foreshadowing of things to come.
Their opposing perspectives on their first meeting
That same engagement interview, in fact, provided another piece that may have appeared trivial at the time. After all, every royal fan knows that engagement interviews are typically unpleasant. Regardless, there was one discussion that, in retrospect, perfectly demonstrated the chasm between the two. When asked about their first encounter, Diana described Charles as “very spectacular.” Meanwhile, he thought she was “jolly and hilarious.” After more reflection, Charles stated that she was “wonderful fun, and bubbly, and full of life and everything.” It shouldn't have been difficult to find positive things to say about Diana…