iowabelle said:
I thought it was very unfair of Diana to make William her confidant about her marital problems with Charles. There are some things about their parents that children don't need to know.
I agree iowabelle; I never cared for the fact that Diana made young William such a confidant of her personal problems like he was an adult who could understand such problems. It wasn't just that she confided her very adult problems (eating disorder, marital problems, frustration with the monarchy and its formalities and protocol) in a young boy (as mature as he was), but that she did it with her own son, which put him in a very awkward position as half the people she was having problems with were his family, too. Whatever you feel about your husband, you should never pit your child against his own father, especially a father who was and still is very much part of his life.
I have a friend who is going through a terrible divorce right now. Her husband abused her and even her mom on one occasion. He has called the police on her twice now. But despite all this, and even on the advice of child psychologists, she will never tell her son what a bad person his father is. He can find that out for himself.
iowabelle said:
I might get in trouble with my own fellow Diana fans for saying it... but maybe Camilla is the wife that Charles needed to make him successful.
What I'm saying is, Diana was a true star, and Charles felt jealous of her. The successful royal marriages - at least in the House of Windsor - seem to be those where the non-royal wife is content to let the husband be the star and she plays a supportive role. Maybe Camilla gives Charles the same kind of support that George VI received from his Elizabeth.
Once again, I agree with you iowabelle, though not completely the point about Diana being a star and Charles being jealous of her. In their marriage the world was certainly more interested in Diana and Charles had very (publicly expressed) strong feelings resenting this. Rightly or wrongly, felt that as the future King of Great Britain he should be the natural star. (Not saying that I agree with this statement, it is just what Charles felt by my impression.)
But, I don't think Diana was all that supportive of Charles in their marriage, certainly not in the same way Camilla appears to be. It's more than just allowing Charles to take the lead (walk two steps ahead of her as it may be) and to let Charles shine. But about being emotionally supportive and encouraging of him. Diana, it seemed to me, especially in the thick of their marriage (not the first few years), was interested in the spotlight for herself. She knew she was a star and that Charles paled to her and she actively sought the spotlight. In some cases it worked to her benefit -- her good causes got good press because of her star power not to mention that it gained her public sympathy as her marriage broke down.
Camilla, in addition to having many of the same interests as Charles (such as the country life), also seems to provide Charles with the support and encouragement and to diffuse any doubts he may have, and allow him to just be himself. With Diana, Charles likely always strived to be more to "compete" with Diana's star power.