<p id=”par-1_54″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/princess-diana/”>Princess Diana</a>‘s death rattled the House of Windsor to its core. Royal family members were stunned to learn that its most popular member had perished. But no one was more affected than King Charles. A royal author revealed Charles’ immediate response to the news of Diana’s passing, saying he “howled like a wounded animal.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-king-charles-had-a-visceral-reaction-to-princess-diana-s-death”>King Charles had a visceral reaction to Princess Diana’s death</h2>
<p id=”par-2_43″>King Charles couldn’t comprehend the news his former wife, Princess Diana, had died in a car accident in 1997. Although he and Diana were divorced, Charles highly regarded her contributions to the royal family and her parenting of their sons William and Harry.</p>
<p id=”par-3_35″>Therefore, when he learned the news she had perished in Paris, France at the age of 36, he was reportedly “shattered.” Royal author Christopher Anderson addressed Charles’s reaction to being told about his ex-wife’s death.</p>
<p id=”par-4_41″>“When he was first told over the phone that Diana had died, Charles, according to an eyewitness, ‘howled like a wounded animal,’” author Christopher Andersen told <a href=”https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/king-charles-felt-unbearable-emptiness-after-princess-dianas-death” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Fox News Digital</a>. Anderson relayed this account in the book, <em>The Day Diana Died</em>. </p>
<p id=”par-5_54″>“Later, after he rushed from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to Paris to bring her back to England, Charles nearly passed out when he first viewed her body,” Anderson continued. “A nurse who was standing in the room told me he reeled back and looked as if he had been ‘struck by an unseen force.’”</p>
<p id=”par-6_32″>“Considering how epic their marital battles had been, people were surprised at Charles’ reaction. He was devastated by Diana’s death, perhaps to a degree that surprised even him. Charles was shattered,” Andersen concluded.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-in-the-months-before-her-death-charles-and-diana-reportedly-reconciled-their-relationship”>In the months before her death, Charles and Diana reportedly reconciled their relationship</h2>
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<p id=”par-7_47″>Author Christopher Andersen claims that despite the many <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/princess-diana-sassy-seductive-gift-prince-charles-sparked-three-word-chilly-royal-response.html/?swcfpc=1″>years of animosity</a> between Princess Diana and King Charles, the former couple put their estrangement aside during <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/princess-diana-butler-reveals-lonely-last-christmas.html/?swcfpc=1″>Diana’s final months</a>. The couple were warm and cordial to one another, a part of their relationship they couldn’t master while married.</p>
<p id=”par-8_33″>This is likely why Charles took Diana’s death so hard. He did have a genuine love for her, but their relationship endured so many difficulties they couldn’t see the good in each other.</p>
<p id=”par-9_33″>Charles stepped up after Diana’s death. He battled his mother, Queen Elizabeth, to ensure Diana was treated with the respect she deserved even though she was no longer a senior royal family member.</p>
<p id=”par-10_31″>Charles also insisted on giving Diana a <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/one-person-visits-princess-diana-grave-every-day.html/?swcfpc=1″>royal-style funeral</a>. He traveled to Paris to bring her body back to England, along with Diana’s sisters Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes.</p>
<p id=”par-11_48″>His willingness to challenge royal protocol during this crisis helped repair Charles’s public image. For years, Charles was seen as the villain in his love story with Diana. But during her funeral, public perception shifted as royal watchers saw him prioritize his sons’ grief and the public’s emotions.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-king-charles-broke-the-news-to-prince-william-and-prince-harry”>King Charles broke the news to Prince William and Prince Harry</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/prince-william-prince-harry-king-charles-at-princess-dianas-funeral.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Prince William, Prince Harry and King Charles at Princess Diana’s funeral in September 1997″ class=”wp-image-3779968″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Prince William, Prince Harry and King Charles at Princess Diana’s funeral in September 1997 | Joel Robine/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-12_44″>In an excerpt from Prince Harry’s book <em>Spare</em>, the Duke of Sussex discussed the day he learned his mother didn’t survive the injuries sustained in her auto accident. Harry recalled that the day Diana died, King Charles, stood at the foot of his bed.</p>
<p id=”par-13_26″>Harry said that Charles placed a hand atop his knee. He called him “darling boy” before telling him that Diana had been in a car crash.</p>
<p id=”par-14_38″>After weighing Charles’ words carefully, Harry believed his mother would eventually be all right. Charles then broke the news to his son that she would not. That she “didn’t make it” before leaving Harry alone in his room.</p>
<p id=”par-15_33″>Princess Diana died on Aug. 31, 1997. At the time, the 36-year-old was being chased by paparazzi in Paris. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and their chauffeur, Henri Paul, also perished in the crash.</p>