Prince Charles and Princess Diana's love story started as a fairytale romance. A young lady met a real-life Prince; his charm swooned her, they fell in love, got married, and lived happily ever after. But we all know that didn't happen because their  dream story soon turned into a rocky and scandalous marriage. 

Charles and Diana got married in a grand royal wedding back in 1981. The people of the United Kingdom rejoiced as the Prince -- who will soon reign the British monarchy -- has found his perfect Queen. Diana was barely 20 years of age at that time, but her immaculate and reserved beauty seems to be perfect for an ideal future queen. 

When Charles and Diana's problems became a daily hot topic in tabloids, little by little, people realized that the Prince and Princess of Wales were infamously ill-matched. 

Years after their split and the tragic death of Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth reportedly opened up about her thoughts on what have went wrong between her eldest son and his former wife and why their marriage did not work. 

Queen Elizabeth's Assessment

In the 2006 book "William's Princess," veteran royal editor Robert Johnson examined Her Majesty's opinion on why and how Charles and Diana's marriage broke down along with several cheating scandals. 

A source close to the Queen told Johnson that time that Her Majesty thought that being a bachelor for so long was somehow the main factor that ended the most-talked-about royal marriage in history. 

"The Queen thinks that one of the reasons Charles' marriage to Diana didn't last was because he waited too long," a Queen's confidante said.

"At 32, he was too set in his ways."

According to the royal author, while the age of 32 may not sound too old for marriage in modern times, Prince Charles was already able to establish his individuality and had something he is unwilling or unable to change. 

"He had also acquired Mrs Parker Bowles. But those days were long gone," Johnson added, referring to the present wife of Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. 

What Queen Elizabeth Really Felt About Diana

Queen Elizabeth warmly welcomed Princess Diana in the royal family. In the 2005 book called "The Firm," royal biographer Penny Junor revealed Her Majesty's thoughts on Diana's groundbreaking royal style. 

"The public loved Diana for all sorts of reasons but not least because people felt she was in tune with them," Junor wrote. 

"She connected with the public in a way they liked. It wasn't the royal way."

In her interview with one of the royal family's private secretaries who worked during Diana's popularity, the royal aide revealed that Queen Elizabeth treated Diana with less hostility than expected. 

"There was an acceptance she was very popular. I never heard the Queen criticize Diana," the secretary said.

"But, there was almost a sense of bafflement and a feeling that this wasn't the style of the rest of the family,."

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