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How Princess Diana’s Life Would Have Changed If She Remarried – The List

Princess Diana may have had her fairytale wedding, but she never quite got her happily ever after. The princess famously wed then-Prince Charles in a lavish 1981 wedding ceremony watched by millions all over the world. However, the couple’s marriage started to unravel almost soon after they said their vows. Just a little over a decade later, Charles and Diana legally separated and in 1996, the two divorced.

Following the end of her and Charles’ relationship, Princess Diana tried to find love again – most notably with Egyptian film producer Dodi Fayed around the time of her divorce. Sadly, the lovers died in a tragic car crash in Paris, France, and nobody would ever truly know what Diana’s life could have been after her divorce form Charles. Had the late princess remarried, however, it would have meant adapting to many changes and possibly, moving to the other side of the pond.

Princess Diana would have had to relinquish her royal title

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When Princess Diana and King Charles III (then Prince Charles) divorced, the princess immediately gave up her HRH (Her Royal Highness) title. According to former royal butler Paul Burrel’s book, “A Royal Duty,” the late Queen Elizabeth reportedly didn’t mind letting her keep the title, but Charles supposedly insisted that she relinquish it. Nevertheless, the royal family allowed her to remain Diana, Princess of Wales.

Diana would’ve lost this title too, however, if she had gone on to remarry. In an interview with The Post, royal expert Dr. Robert Morris of University College London’s Constitution Unit explained that she would have also gone back to being Lady Diana in that situation.

While the loss of a royal title may not seem like the worst thing in the world, it reportedly meant a lot to the late princess. After losing her HRH designation, Diana’s oldest son, Prince William, came to her side and consoled his upset mother, according to Paul Burrell’s book. The then-teenaged prince comforted his mother by telling her, “Don’t worry, Mummy, I will give it back to you one day when I am king.”

Princess Diana may have settled in California

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Back in 1997, Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed had only been seeing each other for a few months. Nonetheless, their relationship became serious rather quickly. During the inquest into their deaths in 2008, Michael Cole, who served as a spokesperson for the Fayed family, revealed that Dodi had given Diana a ring just hours before their tragic accident. Cole also added that Dodi hinted at plans to marry the princess, saying, “There will never be another woman for me.” And while it was never clear if Diana would have agreed to marry Dodi, Cole also claimed that the couple were already making plans to buy a home in Malibu after tying the knot.

Paul Burrell made similar claims when interviewed on ABC News’ “Good Morning America.” The former royal butler even revealed that the princess had already picked out a house in Malibu, which once belonged to actor Julie Andrews. Burrell revealed that Diana very much had her two sons in mind when looking at houses. The late princess reportedly planned to reside there with Princes William and Harry, allowing them to experience a life away from the firm. Burrell also claimed that the royal family would have allowed the princes to spend time with their mother in the United States.

She may have lost some of her divorce settlement

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After months of tense negotiations, Buckingham Palace announced in July 1996 that Diana and Charles eventually reached an agreeable divorce settlement, The New York Times reported. And while the palace didn’t release any financial information related to the settlement, reports claimed that Diana would receive $22.5 million in cash and a stipend of $600,000 a year. In addition, she got to keep all the jewelry she acquired throughout the marriage.

Buckingham Palace also allowed the princess to keep her Kensington Palace apartment so long as the queen agreed. That said, Diana had to vacate her office space at St. James’s Palace (which was next to Charles’ office) and establish a new office at Kensington Palace, which would be maintained using her stipend. In addition, Diana also continued to have access to the royal family’s jets. She could also continue to host gatherings at St. James’s Palace with Buckingham Palace’s permission.

If Diana remarried, however, the princess may have had to give up all these benefits that came with the divorce agreement, according to The New York Times. And since she would likely not have continued holding office at Kensington Palace, it would also mean that she would stand to lose her annual stipend.

She would’ve likely had to stop representing the royal family

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When the news of Charles and Princess Diana’s impending divorce was confirmed, the role Diana would play was initially unclear. “All the details on these matters, including titles, remain to be discussed and settled. This will take time,” a spokesperson initially revealed.

Before long, the Palace confirmed that Diana could maintain her Princess of Wales title, and the royal family even allowed her to continue to represent them in certain engagements, The New York Times reported back in 1996. In a statement cited by the publication, Buckingham Palace even emphasized that Diana would remain a valued member of the royal family after the divorce. As such, the princess would continue to receive invitations to various state and public events from the royal family or the U.K. government. Had Princess Diana decided to remarry, however, this arrangement would’ve likely ended as she relinquished her title as the Princess of Wales. 

She could have lost shared custody of her sons

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When the royal family first announced that Charles and Diana were separating, they also stated that the former couple would both remain dedicated to raising their two children together. And so, once their divorce agreement was finalized, it came as no surprise that Charles and Diana agreed to joint custody of their sons. That said, the two princes were mostly away at boarding school at that time. That meant that the divorce wouldn’t have significantly affected how much time they spent with each parent. The New York Times revealed that Charles and Diana agreed to alternate holidays. 

Had Princess Diana remarried and presumably settled in California, however, it is likely that the shared custody agreement would come under review at the very least, as both parents must agree to an international relocation. And while no one will ever know how the custody of the princes would have worked in this case, the late princess would have likely found a way to remain present in her sons’ lives. After all, Princess Diana once said, “I live for my sons. I would be lost without them.”

She would have lost her remaining patronages

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Throughout her time as a member of the royal family, Princess Diana devoted much of her time to charity causes, working with over 100 organizations in the U.K. and globally. Following her divorce from King Charles III, however, Diana resigned from several of her patronages.

However, according to the official royal website, the princess maintained six patronages following her divorce. These included the English National Ballet, the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, Leprosy Mission, and the National Aids Trust. Diana also continued to serve as president of both the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street. Since such patronages were still linked to the royal family, it has been speculated that Diana would have had to give all of them up had she chosen to remarry.

That said, the princess would have still found ways to support such organizations had she started a new life away from the royal family. Knowing Princess Diana’s lifelong devotion to helping others, it’s possible that she would have maintained her involvement with these organizations in a personal capacity. She would have also found other causes to promote and support. Months before her death, Diana even flew to Lahore, Pakistan to show her support for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre. Later on, she also made her way to Bosnia where she hoped to bring attention to the injuries and horrors caused by landmines.

She could have pursued acting

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It’s very likely that if Princess Diana had chosen to marry again, her choice would have been someone outside the royal sphere, considering the stringent constraints she encountered during her marriage to King Charles III. Consequently, had Diana entered into a union with a non-royal, she might have enjoyed the freedom to explore her interests in the liberal arts, such as acting — an opportunity that was extended to her by Kevin Costner.

Costner was a friend of Sarah, Duchess of York, who also shared a close relationship with Princess Diana. The duchess would eventually introduce Diana to Costner and that’s how she ended up with a movie offer. Following the success of “The Bodyguard,” Costner was eager to write a sequel. The actor also thought there was no one better than Princess Diana to play his new leading lady. And while the princess expressed some interest in having an acting role, she also had some reservations. As Costner recalled during an interview with People, Diana expressed some concerns about having to do a kissing scene with the actor. In response, Costner tried to reassure her by saying, “Yeah, there’s going to be a little bit of that, but we can make that okay too.” Unfortunately, nothing ever came from this collaboration as the actor received a script for the movie just a day before Princess Diana’s death. The project had been shelved since, although “The Bodyguard” later found success again as a musical.

She might have pursued filmmaking

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Aside from taking on acting roles, Princess Diana may have also been interested in becoming a filmmaker herself had she remarried outside the limitations of royal protocol. The late princess reportedly thought that it would be a good idea to produce documentaries that could support her extensive philanthropic work. Tina Brown, who is best known for her book “The Diana Chronicles,” once wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald that Diana got this idea following the success of a BBC film on her landmine campaign in Angola.

Since then, Brown claimed that Diana had plans to partner with a British television company to produce documentary films much like the one that BBC did on her work. The late princess was also reportedly interested in starring in the documentaries herself and had been eager to get some broadcasting training.

At the same time, Diana was interested in working with award-winning documentary filmmaker Molly Dineen after the two women were introduced to each other by journalist Shirley Conran. During an interview with The Sun, Conran revealed Dineen and Diana were scheduled to meet just one day after the princess’ tragic accident. Conran also claimed that the princess was planning to do a tell-all documentary on the royal family, although she has refused to speak further on the subject following Diana’s death. “I won’t say anymore without Diana’s permission and obviously I can’t get that because she is dead,” Conran told the publication.

She may have considered reconciling with King Charles

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While Princess Diana may have remarried had she lived, some reports suggest that she might have also attempted to reconcile her relationship with her ex-husband. In the months before her death, it seemed things were serious between Diana and Dodi Fayed, however, some in the princess’ inner circle believe this wasn’t the case. Petronella Wyatt had met with Diana prior to her death and in an article she wrote for The Sun, the journalist claimed Diana’s romance with Fayed was only meant to be a brief affair.

Wyatt also recalled that when asked about the prospect of marrying again, Diana expressed that she wouldn’t want to. “But I would like to redo some things,” she told Wyatt. While attending a dinner with Diana, the journalist also recalled how the princess lit up when speaking about King Charles III and their newfound friendship since the divorce.

Away from prying eyes, Diana and Charles reportedly started to see each other more often. While speaking with the Daily Mail, Diana’s confidante and alternative healer, Simone Simmons, claimed that Charles kept coming up with excuses to see his ex-wife at home. “He kept popping over for cups of tea or to use the toilet. Any excuse,” Simmons recalled. When they got together, the exes enjoyed discussing their common interests such as organic farming and alternative medicine. Toward the end of her life, Diana even reportedly expressed regret in doing that controversial Panorama interview with Martin Bashir.