Diana married Charles, the first-in-line to the throne, in 1981. While they appeared happy at the beginning of their relationship, cracks soon began to appear. By 1986, at which time both Prince William and Prince Harry had been born, the couple had drifted significantly. Diana later claimed this is when Charles started to see his former flame Camilla Parker-Bowles. The couple’s split in 1992 rocked the Royal Family and the nation. While both the Prince and Princess of Wales insisted at the time that they were not going to divorce, they continued to jibe at one another, both in public and in private.

Eventually, the Queen ruled their disputes were damaging the monarchy’s reputation – she advised them to divorce in 1996, making it clear she thought their feud had become too public.

In her 2018 biography, ‘Harry: Conversations with the Prince’, Angela Levin revealed what the Queen’s husband, Philip, really thought about his son’s relationship during their separation.

Ms Levin said: “Based at Highgrove, Charles was consumed with guilt that he had made Diana so unhappy and in doing so had also let down the Queen, the Queen Mother, Prince Philip, his sons and the British people.

“He found a rare moment of solace in a letter he received from his normally critical father wrote that he felt Charles had displayed he had the ‘fortitude of a saint’ by putting up with Diana.”

Critics of Diana said she was difficult within the marriage and during their subsequent separation, but her fans blamed Charles for their break-up, due to his prolonged affair with Camilla.

He was reportedly jealous over the amount of attention Diana had from the public and the press too.

Diana’s scandalous revelation in her 1995 Panorama interview also increased public support for her – she claimed there were “three people” in her marriage, implying Camilla had always been there.

However, Philip was also found to have corresponded with Diana in 1992, after their separation.

RSVP Live reported in 2018 how Philip had taken a sympathetic tone with his then daughter-in-law: “We never dreamed he might feel like leaving you for her. I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind leaving you for Camilla. Such a prospect never even entered our heads.”

He even signed the letter “with fondest love, Pa”.

Philip’s sympathies for both Diana and Charles were evident when in a later letter he wrote: “I can only repeat what I’ve said before, if invited, I will always do my utmost to help you and Charles to the best of my ability.

“But I am quite ready to concede that I have no talent as a marriage counsellor.”

Diana was delighted to have his support, replying “I was so pleased to receive your letter”.

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She added: “It is good that our letters are getting shorter. Perhaps it means that you and I are getting to understand each other.”

Yet, Philip was not blind to Diana’s faults, and stated clearly “we do not approve of either of you having lovers”.

He also asked Diana to truly consider whether “Charle’s relationship with Camilla had nothing to do with your behaviour towards him in your marriage”.

Charles’ relationship with Philip has also been a source of speculation over the years.

In a 2016 Daily Mail article, Gyles Brandreth explained how a conversation with the Duke of Edinburgh, which took place years before Charles married Camilla, revealed a key difference between the two of them: “Charles is a romantic and I’m a pragmatist. That means we do see things differently.”

He paused before adding, with a shrug: “And because I don’t see things as a romantic would, I’m unfeeling.”

But their relationship has reportedly improved since, especially as the Duke was pleased with Charles for arranging a 90th birthday party for the Queen.

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