Why Princess Diana Used a 'Fake Laugh' to 'Irritate' Prince Charles at Social Events

It is said that the Princess of Wales turned to 'public tactics' in their troubled marriage after then-Prince Charles disregarded her sobbing in front of the Sydney Opera House in 1983. As reported by The Daily Mail, Ken Lennox, a seasoned royal photographer who took the very first portrait of Charles and the late Diana together during their courting, saw firsthand how their relationship deteriorated over time.

The information was disclosed during the episode of Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals on ITV in 2020. Diana's tears were attributed to "jet lag and heat" by a press officer, according to the first episode of the four-part series. But shortly after, Diana's former press assistant Patrick Jephson started to notice that Diana 'laughed a lot' during their joint appearances—not "because she was having fun, but to annoy her husband."

Regarding the depressing incident in Australia, when he was standing a few feet away, Ken said, "Diana burst into tears and wept for a couple of minutes. I don't think Charles noticed. If he had it was typical of him to look the other way. That was the first sign something was wrong and we then began to see other things happening." 

Additionally, he said that Charles was somewhat ignored when Diana entered the picture and that people would constantly beg him to "bring a spouse over." Ken added, "I couldn't give away a picture of the Royal Family before Diana came along. When Diana came along all that exploded."

In the meanwhile, Patrick Jephson, Diana's former press secretary, added, "As professional royal performers they were unbeatable, but behind the scenes it was quite different. They didn't talk to each other, there was minimal eye contact, they were short tempered with each other. Diana enjoyed upstaging her husband and if she was laughing and smiling more it wasn't that she was having more fun but that she knew it got on his nerves."

Additionally, royal novelist Penny Junor recalled how their planned romance first began. The novelist added, "It was the most curious engagement as they didn't know one another, Diana was taken out of a flat she shared with girls and given a suite of rooms at Buckingham Palace. But the perfect girl Charles thought he was falling in love with was much darker and more moody, and by the time they walked up the aisle the relationship was in a very bad way. Charles always said he would marry with his head not his heart and I think that was a hangover learnt from Prince Edward's abdication." She further added, "I really believe that William and Harry have learned a lot of lessons watching their parent's marriage. Diana told William and Harry to marry for love, and to their great credit, both of them have married for love."