There have been several reports about the downfall of King Charles' marriage with his first wife Princess Diana, but it has now been suggested that the monarch's relationship with Camilla wasn't the sole cause.
While the world watched them tie the knot in a fairytale wedding on July 29, 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral in London, 45 years ago today, things behind closed doors weren't quite as picture perfect.
© Ron BullWhen they weren't carrying out royal duties, the then-Prince of Wales and the People's Princess reportedly did not have many things in common, leading to "blazing rows" behind the scenes.
A keen artist, reader and hunter, Charles relished the quiet time to embrace his hobbies while Diana had hoped to make the most of their rare private break to bond with the man who would become the father of her two future childen, Prince William and Prince Harry.
According to The Duchess author Penny Junor, the couple's three-month-long honeymoon, which began in July 1981 following their royal wedding, caused rising tensions.
© Getty"He'd taken along his watercolours, some canvases and a pile of books by the Afrikaner mystic and writer Laurens van der Post, which he'd hoped he and Diana might share and then discuss in the evenings," Penny wrote.
"Diana, however, was no great reader. She hated his wretched books and was offended that he might prefer to bury his head in one of them rather than sit and talk to her. She resented him sitting for hours at his easel, too, and they had many blazing rows.
"One day, when Charles was painting on the veranda deck of Britannia, he went off to look at something for half an hour. He came back to find she'd destroyed his painting and all his materials," she added.
Charles and Diana's multiple honeymoons
William and Harry's parents started married life by catching the train to Prince Philip's family home, the Broadlands estate.
Following a stint in the country home, the newlyweds boarded the royal yacht Britannia for an 11-day cruise from Gibraltar to Algeria, Tunisia, Sicily, the Greek islands and Egypt.
Finally, Charles and Diana flew to his late mother Queen Elizabeth II's Scottish home, Balmoral, which was known for hunting and fishing – some of Charles' favourite pastimes.
To mark their tenth wedding anniversary in 1991, the royals took their two kids, Charles' cousin Norton Knatchbull, his wife Penelope and their children on a boat trip in Italy.
In August 1991, Diana was pictured boarding the Alexander Yacht in Naples for what was believed to be their "second honeymoon." The group enjoyed soaking up the sun and swimming in the sea, but Charles and Diana's quality time wasn't enough to repair their marriage and they announced their separation the following year.
King Charles' bitter split from Princess Diana
Despite marrying in what was dubbed the "wedding of the century", Charles and Diana's union didn't last. Charles rekindled a romance with his former flame Camilla Parker Bowles, a former flame, whom he would eventually marry in 2005.
While there was infidelity on both sides, the pair tried to make it work until their eventual separation in 1992. This was followed by Diana's iconic revenge dress and the famous BBC interview in 1995 in which she uttered the incendiary line: "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."
© Photo: Getty ImagesAfter the Queen recommended they divorce, Diana released a statement announcing their split. "The Princess of Wales has agreed to Prince Charles' request for a divorce," it read. "
The princess will continue to be involved in all decisions relating to the children and will remain at Kensington Palace with offices in St. James's Place. The Princess of Wales will retain the title and be known as Diana, Princess of Wales."
Despite the breakdown of her marriage, Diana "never" wanted to be divorced, royal author Ingrid Seward said during a special recording of HELLO!'s A Right Royal Podcast, which aired last week in honour of the Princess' 65th heavenly birthday.
Speaking to a live audience of 70 HELLO! readers at the Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences, London, Ingrid revealed: "She always said, 'I never, ever, ever want to get divorced'. One of her nannies, Mary Clarke, wrote a book and she told her that she never wanted to get divorced. Even to the last moment, Diana never wanted that divorce."
