The key thing Princess Diana was 'adamant' William and Harry should know about her and King Charles
The late Princess of Wales spoke to royal author Ingrid Seward in 1997 about the 'hurtful' comments people were making
King Charles and Princess Diana's marriage was heavily scrutinised from the very beginning and the interest went into overdrive following his admission of adultery in 1994 and her controversial Panorama interview in 1995. These painted a certain picture of their relationship and many people came to a conclusion that Diana found "hurtful".
Over the years reports have claimed that King Charles in particular was never truly in love with his former wife, but in Catherine & Diana Ingrid Seward describes a conversion she had with the Princess just a few weeks before her death.
"When I sat with her for the last time in 1997 on that sultry summer day in the drawing room of apartments 8 and 9 Kensington Palace, she was adamant I should know how much she and Charles had once loved each other," the royal expert claims.
According to Ingrid, the late Princess told her, "It is so important the boys know that. It's very hurtful to our children when people say we didn't love each other."
"As the loving mother she was, Diana said she always considered her sons' feelings," the royal author adds.
King Charles and Princess Diana were married for 11 years before they separated and Ingrid Seward describes a particularly romantic gift he got her when they were engaged. He bought a charm bracelet, which he apparently "started off" with a koala.
The expert reflects that he added to it for "each birthday or special moment in their first years together" and "even commissioned a solid gold powder compact, an item of great beauty". Other charms reportedly included their sons' initials and St Paul's Cathedral where they tied the knot.
Details like this probably aren't the first thing that springs to people's minds when they think of Charles and Diana and yet they are no doubt treasured by their sons.
The Princess's wish for William and Harry to "know" how much she and their father once loved each other is heart-wrenching and whilst they rarely discuss their parents' relationship publicly, William has spoken about their happy times as a family.
"I think it's really important that that atmosphere is created at home, you have to have that feeling of warmth, security, love that all has to be there," he said on The Reluctant Traveler last year. "And that was certainly part of my childhood. My parents got divorced [when he was] 8, so that lasted a short period of time but you take that and you learn from it."
He even tries to recreate certain experiences he had with Princess Diana and King Charles for Prince George, Charlotte and Louis, like the trips they took to the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall.
"I used to come here a lot when I was younger. My parents brought us down here and it is a place like no other," William said on Heart Breakfast in May. "The children can go where they want, it's completely safe. It's beautiful. The water is crystal clear. There's so much to do down here for a family. It's fantastic."
