The pair had a storybook wedding in 1981, but their union didn’t mirror a fairy tale as both parties had extramarital affairs and separated in 1994. They divorced two years later and Charles ended up marrying his mistress (formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles).
Charles and his second wife spent decades trying to win over the public. Therefore, the monarch isn’t the best person to offer marriage advice but he did give a warning to Prince William after his bride was diagnosed with cancer.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana during a royal tour in Toronto (circa 1991) | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
King Charles warned Prince William ‘not to make mistakes he did’ after Kate’s cancer diagnosis
Both the king and his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales (formerly Kate Middleton), were diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. This led to William canceling a number of engagements to be by Kate’s side. But at the same time with both his father and wife out of commission, he had to add other engagements to his plate and carry on with those duties.
Royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward spoke to Fox News Digital and shared that she was told after Kate’s diagnosis, King Charles had a talk with his oldest son and said: “Look, William, there’s nothing more important than your family.
“Don’t make the mistakes that I made. I just did duty, duty, duty. I neglected my marriage, and look what happened.”
Biographer says Kate had ‘fantastic support from Prince William’
Prince William and Kate Middleton on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour | Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Following abdominal surgery in January, Kate took time off and stayed out of public view for a while. But when rumors started to spread about her health and well-being, she publicly revealed her cancer diagnosis.
“I think she’s had fantastic support from Prince William,” Seward said. “He publicly said it’s been the toughest year that he’s ever had … So, we can only imagine how difficult it [really] must have been because William also [had] to reassure their three young children that mummy’s going to be OK. Kids get very worried when they see their parents unwell, especially for such a length of time. I think it’s been very tough, and he has been an enormous support. And, in turn, he has been supported by his father.”
After undergoing treatment, Kate announced in September via an emotional video that she was “cancer-free” saying: “The cancer journey is complex, scary, and unpredictable for everyone especially those closest to you. With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything.
“This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.”
