TOO BAD, Prince Charles and Lady Diana were NOT numbered among them. Both it seems DID NOT want to go through with it, but felt they had no choice.
"He said, 'Will you marry me?' I laughed. I remember thinking: 'You know, this is a joke'. So I said: 'Yeah, OK' and laughed. And he was deadly serious. He said: 'Do you realize that one day you will be Queen?' A voice said to me inside: 'You won't be Queen but you will have a tough role.' So I thought to myself: 'OK', so I said yes."
That is, of course, a quote from Diana on the Settelen tapes. Diana also spoke about the engagement interview:
Diana: "I was brought up in the sense that, you know, when you got engaged to someone, you love them. And the most extraordinary thing is, we had this ghastly interview the day we announced our engagement. And this ridiculous ITN man said, 'Are you in love?' Oh, what a thick question! So I said, 'Yes, of course we are' in this sort of fat Sloane Ranger that I was. And Charles turned round and said "Whatever 'in love' means". That threw me completely. I thought, what a strange question."
Settelen: "And what a strange reply!"
Diana: "Oh God! Absolutely traumatised me".
Settelen: "And did you ask him about it?"
Diana: "No, I didn't dare".
Settlen: "Were you frightened?"
Diana: "Must've been, yeah ... We met 13 times before we got married."
If this does truly represent they way her mind was working when Charles proposed and at the time of the engagement interview, it's a little frightening for she doesn't seem to have had a clue what saying "Yes" would really mean for her. I don't think she was giving informed consent. As well as that, she hardly knew Charles and couldn't bring herself to ask him about the reply that had "traumatized" her.
Charles asked her to think about it but she wouldn't wait. She certainly should have, because she seems to have taken it all too lightly at that time, and when it finally did sink in and she wanted out, her face was on the teatowels and she was having thoughts about slaughtered lambs.
It's a real shame she didn't think on it a lot harder and longer. And of course it's a real shame that Charles didn't
insist that she think about it a lot harder and longer. He should have insisted she not give her final answer until he returned from his overseas trip. He was the older one and knew what his proposal was asking of her, even if she didn't, and her giggling and light-hearted attitude should have put him on notice that maybe she was not giving informed consent. And if he had a closer relationship to his mother maybe the Queen would have insisted Diana think about it longer. But if he had such a close relationship with the Queen and could have discussed his thoughts and concerns with her maybe he would never have proposed.
So many variables. So much heartache.