Princess Diana’s Final Moments With Charles Before Car Crash Makes Her Death Even More Tragic

King Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage was fraught with challenges from the start, culminating in their highly publicized separation in 1992 and eventual divorce in 1996. This earned Charles the wrath of the public when news of Diana’s death in 1997 shocked the world. However, unbeknownst to the world, the two had actually reached a point of understanding in Diana's final months.

Tina Brown, author and former editor of the New Yorker, who had a personal connection with the late Princess, revealed in her book The Diana Chronicles (2008) that Diana and Charles had developed a friendship after their divorce. Brown, who attended a lunch with Diana and Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, a month before Diana’s death, claimed, “At the end of Diana’s life, she and Charles were on the best terms they’d been for a very long time.” Brown noted that Charles would visit Diana at Kensington Palace, where they would share tea and lighthearted exchanges. She added, “They even had some laughs together.”

Brown revealed, “It was definitely calming down, the boys were older." She shared that the pair discussed their philanthropic work and family matters in their sitdowns. According to Brown, Diana had also come to terms with Charles’s relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, acknowledging that Camilla was 'the love of his life.' However, at the same time, Brown recalled Diana having said she would "go back to Charles in a heartbeat if he wanted her" despite the pain caused by their separation. Diana allegedly expressed her belief that she and Charles could have made a great team, indicating that she wasn't entirely relieved by the divorce.

Simone Simmons, Diana’s spiritual healer and friend, supported these revelations. Speaking to InStyle in 2022, Simmons revealed that Diana never wanted to divorce Charles. She claimed that Diana allegedly said, "‘Simone, I never wanted to divorce Charles. I always loved him,’” when Queen Elizabeth II insisted on the divorce. Debbie Frank, Diana’s astrologer, also shared insights into Diana’s feelings for Charles. In an interview with the Express in 2020, she stated, “I think she loved Charles till her dying day. I’m not saying she longed for him. She didn’t. But there was still that wound there.” Frank attributed this to unresolved emotional scars stemming from Diana’s childhood and her parent's separation.

Hugo Vickers, a royal expert, also acknowledged the claims, stating to TIME, “Charles and Diana’s relationship had mellowed onto a more civilized plain. I won’t say they had suddenly become bosom friends, but as is the case with many divorced parents, in time things settle down.” Vickers attributed their improved relationship to mutual concern for their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and argued that the couple encountered no significant custody disputes.

However, he noted that their busy schedules impacted their sons. He explained, “There were times when the boys were neglected by both of them. They were teenagers, remember, so they could to some extent make up their own minds where they went.”

Diana’s death on August 31, 1997, in a Paris car crash, alongside her lover Dodi Al Fayed and driver Henri Paul, brought an abrupt end to this evolving dynamic. Charles personally traveled to France despite advice otherwise, to bring Diana’s body back to the UK.