Princess Diana‘s BFF, Jemima Khan, is calling it like she sees it when it comes to her late friend’s marriage to Prince Charles. And many royal watchers would agree with her assessment even though they probably prefer not to say it publicly: Diana and Charles’ marriage was planned by palace insiders.
Khan made the shocking (but not really shocking) statement on the British talk show, Lorraine. She was asked by talk show host Lorraine Kelly about her thoughts on arranged marriages, a topic that is broached in the movie she wrote, What’s Love Got To Do With It? Kelly queried (via Newsweek), “When we think about arranged marriage—your friend, Princess Diana—that was arranged really, wasn’t it?”
That’s when Khan dropped the bomb that likely had the royal family‘s heads spinning. “Pretty much,” she responded. “I mean as close to arranged as you could get, in that it was an appropriate match chosen by the parents and a sort of committee of family members. The royal family used to pretty much always have arranged marriages. And it’s still the majority in the world.”
What makes her statement even more powerful is how it aligns with what Prince Harry said in the Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. “I think for so many people in the family, especially obviously the men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mold, as opposed to somebody who you are perhaps destined to be with,” explained. “The difference between making decisions with your head or your heart.” Diana loved Charles when she wed him, but she knew very early on in the marriage that his heart was somewhere else. That’s why Khan’s words feel so brutal even decades later — the royal family did what served them best in the press without thinking of how it might affect Diana in the long run.
Before you go, click here to see the best photos from Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage.
Leave a Comment