Princess Diana found Charles’ affair ‘unbearable’ but vowed to keep her family together

Former dance teacher Anne Allan has revealed the heartbreaking toll Princess Diana’s marital woes once took on the royal, after she confided in her about her ailing marriage to then-Prince Charles. Recounting her experience of teaching the Princess to dance in her new memoir Dancing With Diana, over the course of nine years, Anne became a confidant and source of comfort to Diana as she attended regular dancing classes.

The pair first met just after Diana’s wedding to Charles in 1981, with their friendship continuing throughout the next decade as the Princess navigated multiple life challenges including the birth of her two children Princes William and Harry, and the breakdown of her marriage to the Prince of Wales.

Much of the difficulty in her marriage stemmed from Charles’ alleged affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, his married former lover, something that while deeply hurting Diana, she had hoped they could work their way through.
Recounting a conversation Anne had shared with Diana in an excerpt from her book which was published in People, she wrote: “In pure despair, she dropped to the floor, sobbing. I was distressed for her. I could feel the pain and turmoil she was in. I let her just cry.”

“After a few minutes, apologising profusely for dumping on me when I had enough on my mind, she started to talk through the tears. “I just don’t know what to do, Anne. I find myself in an unbearable situation. I haven’t seen Charles for weeks and he doesn’t want to talk to me. I thought he would come back to me, and we could work things out. How do I go on when I’m not wanted?” Her hurt was deep, and she could not see a way through it. My heart was broken for her.”
Recalling the “deep anxiety and dread” Diana had felt, Anne revealed that the question of separation had been briefly brought up at this point, however neither she nor the Princess herself felt that this was a viable option at that moment in time.

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Princess Diana found Charles’ affair ‘unbearable’ but vowed to keep her family together
Princess Diana had struggled to process Charles’ infidelity, as she found the strain on her marriage ‘unbearable’ claims her former dance teacher, yet despite her reluctance to separate was determined to put her family first

Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Princess Diana struggled to cope with the breakdown of her marriage and found the situation ‘unbearable’ (Image: Getty)
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ByPhoebe TonksOvernight Reporter
03:59, 5 Sep 2024
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Former dance teacher Anne Allan has revealed the heartbreaking toll Princess Diana’s marital woes once took on the royal, after she confided in her about her ailing marriage to then-Prince Charles. Recounting her experience of teaching the Princess to dance in her new memoir Dancing With Diana, over the course of nine years, Anne became a confidant and source of comfort to Diana as she attended regular dancing classes.

The pair first met just after Diana’s wedding to Charles in 1981, with their friendship continuing throughout the next decade as the Princess navigated multiple life challenges including the birth of her two children Princes William and Harry, and the breakdown of her marriage to the Prince of Wales.

Much of the difficulty in her marriage stemmed from Charles’ alleged affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, his married former lover, something that while deeply hurting Diana, she had hoped they could work their way through.

Princess Diana was deeply wounded by the breakdown of her marriage, her former dance teacher has revealed
Princess Diana was deeply wounded by the breakdown of her marriage, her former dance teacher has revealed ( Image: Getty)
READ MORE: Princess Diana wanted Charles to be ‘proud of her’ and felt she ‘wasn’t enough’

Recounting a conversation Anne had shared with Diana in an excerpt from her book which was published in People, she wrote: “In pure despair, she dropped to the floor, sobbing. I was distressed for her. I could feel the pain and turmoil she was in. I let her just cry.”

“After a few minutes, apologising profusely for dumping on me when I had enough on my mind, she started to talk through the tears. “I just don’t know what to do, Anne. I find myself in an unbearable situation. I haven’t seen Charles for weeks and he doesn’t want to talk to me. I thought he would come back to me, and we could work things out. How do I go on when I’m not wanted?” Her hurt was deep, and she could not see a way through it. My heart was broken for her.”

Recalling the “deep anxiety and dread” Diana had felt, Anne revealed that the question of separation had been briefly brought up at this point, however neither she nor the Princess herself felt that this was a viable option at that moment in time.

Princess Diana had wanted to try and repair her strained marriage to then-Prince Charles, but sadly failed
Princess Diana had wanted to try and repair her strained marriage to then-Prince Charles, but sadly failed ( Image: Getty)
She continued, writing: “The question of separation had been brought up, but I didn’t believe that separation was an option, and told her. The palace would never agree, and I honestly didn’t think that was what she wanted. Diana wanted Charles to be with her and to love her. Even though she was in her own romantic affair, at this point, Charles was still the man she desired and that was why it was so agonising for her. “Keeping my family together is the most important thing to me,” she said, still crying.”

Sadly, despite her wishes, the couple did eventually separate in 1992, before formally divorcing in 1996, just one year before Diana’s tragic death in a Paris car crash. Prince Charles went on to marry Camilla in 2005 and acceded to the throne in 2022, when he became King following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.