EXCLUSIVE: Queen Elizabeth's Secret Deathbed Confession Revealed — 'She Felt King Charles Was Responsible for Princess Diana's Death'
Queen Elizabeth's secret deathbed confession has been revealed she believed King Charles was to blame for Diana's death.
Nov. 1 2025, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
In the days following Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997, thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace, leaving behind flowers and tears, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
But Queen Elizabeth II – who notoriously had a complicated relationship with the Princess of Wales – remained silent.
It was five long days before the queen, who by now had been accused by the public and the press of being insensitive and downright cold, finally addressed the nation.
Queen Elizabeth's Speech After Diana's Death
Queen Elizabeth II faced backlash for remaining silent five days after Princess Diana's death.
"We have all been trying in our different ways to cope," she said in her speech to the world on September 5. "It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger – and concern for those who remain."
She went on to pay tribute to Diana, calling her "an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired and respected her," she insisted.
But the damage was done. The queen's initial silence seemed to cement the belief that she had a rocky relationship with Diana, especially as her marriage to then-Prince Charles fell apart.
Queen Elizabeth's Deathbed Regret About Diana
A palace insider claimed the late queen admitted she was wrong about Diana before her death.
Now, more than two decades later, RadarOnline.com can reveal a change of heart about Diana.
"On the queen's deathbed," said a source, "she admitted she was wrong about Diana. For years, she had regrets about how she treated Diana, but she never went as far as to say she was wrong about Diana."
The queen felt immense guilt, said the source. "Had she and [King] Charles treated Diana differently, the course of history would have changed and maybe Diana would be alive today," said the source.
"The queen blamed Charles for causing Diana to unravel," added the source. "In a way, she felt he was responsible for her death because he set her on a path with the divorce that ended in tragedy."
Elizabeth 'Failed To Show Compassion'
Sources said Queen Elizabeth regretted stripping Princess Diana of her 'Her Royal Highness' title.
According to palace sources, Elizabeth also believed she had failed to show compassion at key moments – like during the contentious divorce.
"Diana was right to feel sad, confused and shocked by the terms of that divorce," the insider said. "If the queen were able to do it over again, she would no doubt have spared Diana grief by leaving her 'Her Royal Highness' status intact despite the divorce from Charles."
Stripping Diana of her HRH title meant she was technically no longer a member of the royal family.
In public events, she had to curtsy to her former husband. And she no longer was supplied security by the palace. She did keep the Princess of Wales title and was awarded a lump sum of about $26 million.
Insiders alleged Charles's affair with Camilla fueled much of Diana's heartbreak and turmoil.
"It was obvious Diana could have been treated better," said the source.
"And while she had her faults, Charles could have been a much better husband to her. If he hadn't carried on with Camilla – the third person in their marriage, as Diana once pointed out – the unfolding of events over time might have played out very differently."
Diana's belongings after her death, he found letters the queen had written to the princess. He doesn't say if he read them, only that he destroyed them. When he brought the letters up to the queen months later, he told her, "That shredding machine is smoking, Your Majesty."
In the wake of Diana's tragic death, speculation about a palace cover-up swirled.
"Because the queen remained silent for five long days, some people started to wonder if the palace was hiding something about the investigation into Diana's death," said the source.
Conspiracy Theories About Diana's Death
Mohamed Al Fayed fueled conspiracy theories suggesting the palace plotted Diana's fatal crash.
"The silence did so much damage to the monarchy, even leading some to accuse the royals of having Diana killed."
Mohamed Al Fayed – father of Diana's lover Dodi Fayed, who also died in the crash – was the conspiracy theory that Diana's death was not an accident, but rather a plot involving MI6 at the instruction of The Firm.
"The rumors were preposterous, but they had an effect on the already guilt-ridden queen, who was always cast as Diana's opposite – duty versus emotion, tradition versus change, icy reserve versus warm humanity," said the source.
"Yet in the end, she recognized how Diana touched people's hearts in a way the queen couldn't."
The Impact Diana's Death Had On Her Sons
Queen Elizabeth sought to atone by taking a more active role in Prince William's and Prince Harry's lives.
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The devastating impact Diana's death had on her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, also weighed on the monarch.
"Although she knew she wasn't responsible for Diana's death, she was always trying to make it up to them," said the source.
"She became more involved in William's and Harry's lives and was a loving mentor to them, wanting from those who had hounded Diana to her death.
Elizabeth's Confession Before Her Death
Royal sources said the queen found peace only after admitting her mistakes in how she treated Diana.
"It was her way of making amends – by ensuring Diana's boys were cared for and shielded in a way their mother had not been," added the source.
When Elizabeth finally passed, her family was at her bedside, and her conscience was clean.
"By admitting she was wrong about Diana," said the source, "everything was made right in the queen's eyes – and she was able to die in peace."
