Revisiting King Charles' Romances: 10 Women He Fancied Before He Finally Married Princess Diana
King Charles and his ex-girlfriends...
King Charles, aka "Playboy Prince," had an extensive history of dating women before he finally walked down the aisle with Princess Diana. Among the list of his ex-girlfriends, the now-Queen Camilla dominated the media due to her alleged 'friendship' with the Prince throughout his marriage with Diana. The most eligible bachelor had a specific 'recipe for the perfect woman,' according to Sarah Bradford's biography Diana. "Tall, blonde, curvaceous, and with an English rose complexion," that's how the Prince allegedly liked it.
1. Camilla Shand
King Charles's 'friendship' with Camilla Shand was controversial. The now husband and wife first met during a polo match In 1970 and immediately hit it off. The British Monarch was 23 years old, and they were introduced through his university girlfriend, Lucia Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, Camilla's great-grandmother was a mistress to Charles' great-great-grandfather, aka King Edward VII. Apparently, when they met, Charles' mentor, Lord Mountbatten, encouraged him to pursue her because he found her to be 'ideal mistress material,' as reported by Cosmopolitan. Eventually, she became his wife.
2. Lucia Santa Cruz
Although Lucia Santa Cruz introduced King Charles to Camilla, she was mostly known as his first college girlfriend. The British Monarch's lesser-known romance with Cruz dates back to 1971 when she was a research assistant who had just presented her book Three Essays on Chilean Women. She was a Chilean and the daughter of the Chilean ambassador in London, Victor Santa Cruz, who served during the term of President Ricardo Froilan Lagos Escobar. Cruz's work left Charles smitten, per Marca.
3. Amanda Knatchbull
The third woman on this list is Amanda Knatchbull, King Charles' cousin, who almost became Queen. Apart from Diana, when you think of the monarch, the second woman that usually comes to mind is Camilla. However, prior to these two, the now-75-year-old casually proposed to Knatchbull, per Cosmopolitan. Charles' great-uncle Lord Mountbatten pushed him to send a proposal to his second cousin, who was his granddaughter. Apparently, the Prince was 'very fond' of her, and the two cousins 'did grow close, developing a mutual respect and friendship.'
4. Davina Sheffield
Apparently, Davina Sheffield came to heal Charles' wounds after Camilla broke his heart and decided to stay faithful to her husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, whom she married three years before. The then 24-year-old was a good fit for the Prince, and she was also the granddaughter of celebrated industrialist Lord McGowan and a cousin of Samantha Sheffield (wife of Prime Minister David Cameron). Initially, Sheffield turned down Charles' romantic advances, but he 'was so persistent,' she surrendered to his request, per Marie Claire. However, the pair didn't work out, but many outlets did dub her the 'one that got away.'
5. Anna Wallace
Anna Wallace is a woman to whom Prince Charles proposed twice. So, the two first met on the hunting field and grew closer to the royal family quite closer. In fact, she also had an opportunity to dine with the Queen back in the day. However, she turned down the British heir's proposal both times and ended things with Charles after he danced with Camilla at Queen Mother's 80th birthday. Wallace allegedly yelled, "No one treats me like that. Not even you," per Daily Mail.
6. Sabrina Guinness
Guinness was viewed as the 'it girl' of her generation. She ticked all the boxes of a pretty woman with long legs and a bright mind. She was a Guinness heiress, whose father was James Guinness, working in the banking side of the billionaire brewery firm. Reports surfaced that Charles and Guinness were more than 'just friends,' and in 1979, they were spotted fishing, riding, and shooting together. However, the relationship soon turned sour, and they broke up nine months later.
7. Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg
In 1977, the Daily Express was convinced that Prince Charles was to marry Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg. She was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Josephine Charlotte, daughter of the former King Leopold and Queen Astrid of Belgium. Back then, she was the most eligible Princess of Europe. They even posted the news of their engagement despite differences in religion. However, the scoop turned out to be untrue, and Charles only briefly dated the princess in 1969.
8. Susan George
The English film and television actress Susan George shot to fame after she starred in the 1971 thriller Straw Dogs. She was among the 30 guests who were invited to Charle's 30th birthday at Buckingham Palace. They were frequently spotted hanging out and dancing together, leading to their brief romance, candlelight dinners, and theatre trips. Although she publicly denied relationship rumors, a source revealed she addressed King Charles as a 'special individual' and still refers to him as "Sir," according to the Daily Mail.
9. Sarah Spencer
Before Princess Diana, then Prince Charles actually dated her elder sister, Lady Sarah Spencer, in 1977 for a long time. She was also at the center of attention surrounding various engagement rumors. But the speculations were put to rest in 1978 after they went on a ski trip in the Swiss resort Klosters. Spencer said at the time, "There is no chance of my marrying him. I'm not in love with him. And I wouldn't marry anyone I didn't love." However, she is also the reason Diana and Charles met, with Sarah even referring to herself as 'Cupid' in an interview with The Guardian.
10. Princess Diana
Who doesn't know about the love story between Diana and Charles? The pair first met in November 1977, when Charles was still dating her elder sister, Sarah. The British heir visited the Spencer family for a pheasant shoot and found Diana a "very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old." However, the two reconnected several years later, in 1979, when she was 'lunching with the queen.' And, of course, as everyone else knows, they got married and had two kids, and later divorced in what would become one of the most infamous royal separations the world has ever witnessed.
