War of the Waleses

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The Prince and Princess of Wales return to Buckingham Palace following their wedding in St Paul's Cathedral

The War of the Waleses was a term coined by the British and International media to describe the collapsing marriage of the then-Prince and Princess of Wales. The term comes from the Wars of the Roses, which was the power struggle between the House of York and House of Lancaster for control of the English Throne. The "War of the Waleses" began in the late 1980s when it became public knowledge that their marriage was on the rocks. The so-called War of the Waleses climaxed in 1992 with the Prince and Princess of Wales formally separating.

1 Background
2 Proxy War
3 Result
4 See also

[edit] Background

On 29 July 1981, The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer were married at St Paul's Cathedral before 3,500 invited guests and an estimated television audience of 750 million people around the world. All of Europe's crowned heads attended (except for Juan Carlos of Spain, who was advised not to attend because the couple's honeymoon would involve a stop-over in the disputed territory of Gibraltar). So, too, did most of Europe's elected heads of state, with the notable exceptions of Karamanlis of Greece, who declined to go because Greece's exiled King, Constantine II, a personal friend of the Prince, had been described in his invitation as "King of Greece" (the technically correct description of an exiled monarch who hadn't abdicated), which infuriated Greek republicans, and Ireland's Patrick Hillery, who was advised by Irish Prime Minister Charles J. Haughey not to attend because of Britain's role in Northern Ireland.

By marriage to the heir-apparent, Lady Diana received both a title (Princess of Wales) and the style of "Her Royal Highness". She was popularly known as Princess Diana, although this form of address is technically incorrect. The couple made their home at Highgrove in Gloucestershire and at Kensington Palace. Almost immediately, the Princess of Wales became a star attraction, chased by the paparazzi, her every move (including every change in hairstyle) closely followed by millions.

However, the marriage soon hit the proverbial rocks. Critics of the Princess of Wales alleged that she was unstable and temperamental; one by one she sacked each of the Prince of Wales's longstanding staff members and fell out with numerous friends (her father, mother, brother, The Duchess of York, Elton John, her own staff — who quit after rows). The Prince of Wales, too, was blamed for the marital troubles. Within five years of the wedding the fairytale Wales marriage was already on the brink of collapse. Ironically, the Prince and Princess of Wales were similar in some respects: Both had had troubled childhoods. Both took their public roles seriously and devoted much of their time to charity work, becoming highly regarded for it. (The Princess of Wales notably devoted much time to helping AIDS sufferers, while The Prince of Wales devoted much effort to marginalised groups in urban centres through his Prince's Trust charity).

[edit] Proxy War

By the end of 1989 Charles had resumed his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles while Diana had begun one or more affairs. Though sources are vague at sometime in 1990 both parties were made aware that these affairs were known to the press. Although the Princess of Wales had complained for several years that she was the victim of intrusive press attention (including in 1991 suing the Daily Mirror over the publication of photographs of her in a leotard), it was regularly commented that Diana had become closely involved in placing stories in the press. In 1992 Andrew Morton wrote a sensational biography of the Princess of Wales that detailed her eating disorders, a struggle with depression and attempted suicide contributed to by Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. At the time of publication Morton stated that the material was sourced from friends close to Diana but he has since said Diana was the main source. For a time press support was split into Charles (The Mirror and the Telegraph) and Diana (The Sun and The Times) camps and was intensified by the public collapse of the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of York the following year. Following the publication by The Sun of taped phone conversations between the Princess of Wales and James Gilby in August 1993 (dating back to 1989), public sympathy swung behind Diana and the weight of press support with it. (See Squidgygate.) The published conversation was edited removing the more explicit sections. A few weeks later, The Mirror published a purported conversation between Charles and Camilla that included items that many readers found offensive. (See Camillagate.)

[edit] Result

Both partners subsequently admitted to extra-marital affairs, he with Mrs Parker Bowles, she with an army officer named James Hewitt. Though they remained publicly a couple, they effectively had separated by the late 1980s, he living in Highgrove, she in Kensington Palace. The media noted their increasing periods apart and their obvious discomfort at being in each other's presence. Evidence and recriminations of infidelity aired in the news media. By 1992, it was obvious that the marriage was over in all but name. The couple formally separated, with media sources taking different sides in what became known as the "War of the Waleses."

The marriage of The Prince and Princess of Wales formally ended in divorce on 28 August 1996. It had produced two sons, Prince William of Wales, and Prince Henry of Wales who is known by the name "Harry."