EXCLUSIVE: Princess Diana Pinpointed Who Was to Blame For Collapse of Her Marriage to Charles… And It Wasn't Camilla
Princess Diana and Prince Charles' marriage never stood a chance.
Jan. 29 2026, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
RadarOnline.com can reveal Princess Diana believed she knew exactly who was to blame for the collapse of her marriage to Prince Charles – and, according to a close confidante, it was not Camilla.
The Princess of Wales married Charles on July 29, 1981, in a global spectacle watched by hundreds of millions of fans.
Palace courtiers, not Camilla, may have destroyed Princess Diana's marriage.
Their disastrous marriage unravelled publicly over the following decade, with the couple separating in 1992 and divorcing in 1996.
Diana died in Paris on August 31, 1997, aged 36, just weeks after confiding in friends about what she believed truly destroyed the relationship.
For years, the prevailing narrative has pointed to Charles' long-running affair with Camilla Parker Bowles as the central cause of the breakdown.
Diana herself famously acknowledged Camilla's role in her infamous 1995 Panorama interview, saying: "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
'It Was The People Around Charles'
Princess Diana blamed the 'people around Charles' for the collapse of their relationship.
Yet royal biographer Ingrid Seward says Diana identified a different, less obvious culprit.
Speaking on the A Right Royal Podcast, Seward recalled a private conversation with Diana shortly before her death.
"She said to me just before she died, it wasn't Camilla," Seward said.
Quoting Diana directly, she added, Diana said: "It wasn't Camilla that ruined our marriage. It was the people around Charles."
Seward added the comment stayed with her. "And I could never unpick that comment and quite understand what it meant," she said. "But I also remember Diana's father saying how tricky the royal household was."
Seward went on to question the role of palace staff and courtiers, asking: "Are they just a load of overinflated egos in the royal household, or are they really trying to help?"
Why Their Marriage Was Made 'Impossible'
Princess Diana’s father is said to have warned her about the 'tricky' nature of the royal household.
Sources close to Diana have long suggested she felt isolated and undermined by the royal machine surrounding her husband.
One former aide told us, "Diana believed there was an entire system protecting Charles and managing him, while she was left exposed. She felt that advice was filtered, loyalties were entrenched, and that made any real intimacy in the marriage impossible."
Another source said: "In Diana's mind, Camilla was part of the story but not the root cause. She thought the environment Charles lived in – the courtiers, the advisers, the constant protocol – created an emotional wall she could never break through."
Managing Princess Diana's Public Image
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Princess Diana's public image was carefully managed... and guarded.
The idea of palace control shaping Diana's life is echoed in accounts from those who witnessed how carefully her public image was managed.
Photographer Denis O'Regan described how palace officials attempted to suppress images of Diana attending a 1987 concert by David Bowie at Wembley Stadium.
O'Regan said Kensington Palace called the day after the show, asking that the photographs not be used.
At the time, Diana was 25 and had attended the concert with Army Major James Hewitt, then 29, with whom she later admitted to a five-year affair beginning in 1986.
O'Regan said: "Word had gone out about James Hewitt." He added officials were keen to avoid fueling speculation, explaining: "They just didn't want Diana in the press."
Friends said this constant intervention reinforced Diana's belief that forces around Charles – not just his romantic choices – were shaping and ultimately sabotaging their marriage.
One insider said: "She felt managed, silenced, and judged, while Charles was buffered by people whose priority was the institution, not the relationship."
Those close to Diana said her reflections were not about absolving anyone, but about understanding how a young, emotionally vulnerable woman found herself trapped in a system that never made space for her.
