Prince Charles Once Proposed to a Cousin Before Marrying Princess Diana: ‘Like Brother and Sister’

As per Robert Lacey’s book, Battle of Brothers, Prince Charles had once proposed to Amanda Knatchbull, his second cousin. It is said that Lord Mountbatten, his great uncle, had supported this proposal. As reported by The Express , Lacey explained, “When the prince finally made his proposal in the summer of 1979 – shortly before Lord Mountbatten’s assassination by the IRA – the independent-minded Amanda politely turned him down.” Lacey added, “Over the years the two cousins did grow close, developing a mutual respect and friendship that has lasted to the present day.”

Journalist and author Penny Junor clarified on The Royal House of Windsor , “[Charles and Amanda] had been together a lot, and I think that actually the relationship was too close. They were like brother and sister.” After being married to Charles Vincent Ellingworth ten years later, Knatchbull and Ellingworth had three children together. Knatchbull seems to have a quiet life, nestled securely out of the public glare, something she sought to avoid, in contrast to other well-known royal family members.

Oddly enough, Charles also dated his future wife Diana’s older sister before they got together. Even while it’s not nearly as strange, that type of thing still has the potential to cause a lot of controversy and retaliation. Before he ever met Diana, Charles reportedly dated her elder sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, according to Tatler .

The 29-year-old monarch was under familial pressure at the time to locate a future bride to become his queen. After all, Woman & Home reported that Charles had a succession of girlfriends who were known as “Charlie’s angels.” Nonetheless, Tina Brown, the author of The Diana Chronicles , said that Sarah was happy that Charles expressed interest in her and that she ‘received a flattering stream of invitations to Windsor and Balmoral.’ Tatler mentioned that Sarah’s statement to two reporters—that she would not marry the prince ‘if he were the dustman or the King of England’—caused them to break up.

The Spencers, who comprised sister Jane and brother Charles in addition to Diana and Sarah, grew up in the opulent Althorp. Though it’s unknown whether Sarah and the prince crossed paths at that moment, the estate was close to the Queen’s Norfolk country residence, Sandringham, so the Spencer and royal children often interacted. Sarah invited Charles to Althorp during their brief courtship. He met Diana there, who at the time was a well-known 16-year-old. Diana’s sole mark on Charles’s radar, according to Brown, was that she was Sarah’s younger sister, ‘jolly’ and ‘bouncy.’

In 1981, The Guardian revealed that when her younger sister became engaged to the prince, Sarah remarked, “I introduced them. I’m Cupid.” In 1980, Sarah wed Neil Edmund McCorquodale, one year before Diana and Charles tied the knot. The couple’s three children were born in 1983 (a daughter named Emily), 1984 (a boy named George), and 1989 (a daughter named Celia).