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Prince Charles calls marriage to Princess Diana a ‘Greek tragedy’

In a newly released letter to former US first lady Nancy Reagan, Prince Charles opened up about his marriage to Princess Diana.

The letter was written in June 1992 just days after the release of Andrew Morton’s book Diana: Her True Story, which portrayed Charles as cruel and callous.

Prince Charles compared his marriage to a 'greek tragedy'. Photo: Getty
Prince Charles compared his marriage to a 'greek tragedy'. Photo: Getty

“No one can really understand what it all means until it happens to you, which is why it all keeps getting worse and worse,” he wrote during the public meltdown of their union, in the letter published in The Mail on Sunday.

“One day I will tell you the whole story. It is a kind of Greek tragedy and would certainly make a very good play!”

Charles' letter was published on Sunday. Photo: Getty
Charles' letter was published on Sunday. Photo: Getty

Charles and Nancy exchanged letters for decades after first meeting in 1974, when he was serving in the Royal Navy and was invited to a private dinner at the Palm Springs home of Walter Annenberg, then US ambassador to Britain. Until Nancy Reagan died last year.

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The letters show that Charles tried to comfort Nancy when her own life was put under the microscope in a tell-all biography in 1991.

“I know exactly the methods these dreadful people employ to create the maximum amount of controversy and conflict by making the wildest allegations so as to make the maximum amount of money,” the Prince wrote.

Charles met the Reagan's in 1974. Photo: Getty
Charles met the Reagan's in 1974. Photo: Getty

When Ronald Reagan’s health deteriorated, Charles wrote that he ‘felt for Nancy’ and sent her prayers. And after her husband passed he recalled many great memories he’d had with the pair.

“Your husband was always incredibly kind to me. I shall treasure his sense of humour, which shone through everything he did. It was a rare gift and he put it to wonderful use,” he remembered.

The letters were part of Nancy's private collection. Photo: Getty
The letters were part of Nancy's private collection. Photo: Getty

The letters were part of Nancy’s private collection, which, on her death in March 2016, were handed over to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in California.

They are being made public thanks to the late President and his wife’s insistence that their papers should be available as an historical archive.

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