Prince Charles Almost Wed This Royal Stunner But It Was The Press That Picked Princess Diana, Per ‘Express’

Prince Charles was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the world when he put a ring on it with Lady Diana Spencer in July of 1981, but a royal documentary reveals that he was considering sealing the deal with another royal stunner instead.

According to the 2016 documentary, Prince William: Royalty In My Family, Charles was also considering marrying the gorgeous Princess Astrid of Luxembourg.

The narrator of the film noted, according to a report by Express, “The monarchy reportedly considered Princess Astrid of Luxembourg a suitable match for Charles, even though she was Catholic.”

The royal family is the head of the Church of England, which is a Protestant Anglican church, and they’ve been a part of this religion since the 16th century.

It was the tabloid press that “pursued Diana as the main romantic interest of Charles” for several key reasons.

Express reported that the late Princess Diana was seen at the time as the “perfect virgin bride” for Charles.

Although their romance was seen as a royal fairy tale, the shy and quiet 20-year-old schoolteacher and 32-year-old prince allegedly did not marry for love, at least on Charles’ part.

Diana was besotted with the prince, according to Andrew Morton in the book Diana: Her True Story.

His brusque father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, reportedly pushed Prince Charles to make a commitment to the then 19-year-old, who had only a few dates together by the time of their engagement.

The media was stalking her, convinced she was the one.

Philip reportedly wrote Charles a letter and told him it was unfair to Diana’s reputation to dawdle: Either propose or release her, he advised.

“It was measured and sensitive,” said Charles’ cousin Pamela Hicks, who read the letter, said to Sally Bedell Smith in the book Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life.

Charles did not see it that way. “He wasn’t in love, he wasn’t ready,” Hicks told Smith.

“He saw it as a ghastly threat. Psychologically he assumed his father bullied him, so he read it as a bullying letter,” lamented Smith.

Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in July of 1981 and the couple became the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Princess Diana was an instant hit with the public and the press and went on to be named the “People’s Princess” due to her ability to relate to the public in a way the monarchy never had before.

As for Princess Astrid of Luxembourg? Express reported she went on to instead marry Archduke Carl Christian of Austria in 1982, a year after Charles and Diana’s wedding.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana would later divorce in 1996. She would tragically die in a car accident in 1997 in Paris.