Princess Diana And King Charles Had A Sizable Age Gap Between Them

Throughout history, there have been some massive age gaps in royal marriages. However, in more modern times, be it intentionally or coincidentally, that sort of thing has more or less fallen out of vogue. In fact, these days, the biggest age-gap marriage in the royal family belongs to Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who are five years apart (Mozzi being the older one). However, before he married Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles, who is only about a year and a half his senior, King Charles III was married to Princess Diana, with whom he shared a much more sizable age difference.

King Charles was born on Nov. 14, 1948, while Diana was born in July 1, 1961, meaning that Charles was about 12 years and seven months older than his late first wife. So, when the two tied the knot on July 29, 1981, Diana had just turned 20, whereas Charles was a few months away from turning 33. And while this isn't nearly as big as, say, the 41-year age difference between King William III and Queen Emma, it still makes for one of the most notable age-gap marriages in modern royal history. This day and age, some wonder if the nearly 13 years between them was a sign that Charles and Diana weren't going to last. Back then, however, no one seemed to pay it too much mind.

A 2022 thread posted on the subreddit for Netflix's "The Crown" inquired into what the public perception of the age gap was when the then-Prince of Wales married Diana in the early '80s. "I don't remember it being seen as a scandal. A 13-year age gap is unusual but not that unusual," one user replied. "It was completely glossed over at the time," another recalled.

Times have certainly changed — not just since King Charles III and Princess Diana wed in 1981, but even since they got divorced 15 years later. However, since that time, many have pondered whether the two were ever compatible, and what role their age gap played in that.

"The age was a massive issue," dating expert and former royal employee Karen Mooney told The Sun in 2020, adding, "When you're older and have a 13-year age gap it is not too bad. But when you're 19 and 32, going on 33, that's a huge age gap. You have no shared memories or experience, if you talk about the past." Mooney further opined that Diana "was a very naïve, unworldly 19-year-old," while Charles "had been to Cambridge and was obviously very intellectual." The expert continued, "But he was the Prince of Wales and all of a sudden, he was paying her attention so she was flattered. But they had absolutely nothing in common."

To that end, however, while a sizable age difference can sometimes create a disconnect between a couple, it's something that can be overcome if they are a good fit for each other overall. And as Mooney stated, Charles and Diana also had more fundamental incompatibilities keeping them from ever truly being on the same page. For instance, The List interviewed another relationship expert named Paige Michelle back in 2021, she commented on the couple's drastically different personalities and priorities, speculating that they most likely really struggled with effective communication. "With these two, they did not share the same perspective and there wasn't a solid friendship foundation energetically, meaning there was a lot to compromise on," Michelle said at the time.