Princess Diana is fondly remembered as the ‘People’s Princess’ or ‘Queen of Hearts’. The late Princess oddly predicted that she would never rule as a monarch two years before her tragic death in August 1997. During the infamous 1995 BBC Panorama interview Diana revealed that the royal establishment didn’t wish to see her ascending the throne. When journalist Martin Bashir inquired about her unclear future: “Do you think you will ever be queen?” She gave him an amused look. “No, I don’t, no,” she replied. When asked why she believed she would never wear the crown, the Princess of Wales said, “I’d like to be a queen of people’s hearts, in people’s hearts, but I don’t see myself being Queen of this country. I don’t think many people will want me to be Queen. Actually, when I say many people I mean the establishment that I married into because they have decided that I’m a non-starter.”
Princess Diana talks about how she will never be Queen, 1995 pic.twitter.com/T2s1SsjVpT
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As per The Washington Post , nearly 40% of the UK population and an estimated 200 million people globally watched the controversial interview, which was allegedly the last straw for a marriage that many had once thought would end with Prince Charles and Diana as king and queen.
Princess Diana continually proved over the years why she was known as the “people’s princess.” pic.twitter.com/76l5la0xGP
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) August 31, 2017
The clip has been shared multiple times online, with a Reddit user uploading it, which garnered new reactions. “She really was “The people’s princess,” an online user praised . “Never seen this before. Her eyes are stunning. A beautiful soul that one,” another person chimed . “That sadness in her eyes…,” a person wrote .
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“It really seems like Charles married into royalty and not the other way around. Absolutely a Queen of hearts,” a netizen noted . “Too sad that she somehow knew what might happen and you can tell that her beautiful soul is somehow broken when looking into her eyes,” someone agreed .
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The royal family was shaken by Charles’ romance with Camilla Parker Bowles , which made their 14-year marriage “a bit crowded,” Diana claimed. Bashir questioned the Princess on her soon-to-be ex-husband’s more certain future, asking, “Do you think he would wish to be king?” Diana retorted that Charles enjoyed his independence and would not be able to adjust to the royal responsibilities. She continued by explaining that there was always disagreement with him about that topic and that she understood that disagreement since being king is a much more demanding role than being Prince of Wales.
“And being Prince of Wales produces more freedom now, and being king would be a little bit more suffocating. And because I know the character, I would think that the top job, as I call it, would bring enormous limitations to him, and I don’t know whether he could adapt to that,” she said. However, in 1996, the couple was divorced, and Diana passed away in a car accident in Paris while attempting to escape the media. In 2005, Charles married Camilla, and in 2023, he became the king.