King Charles Had A Close Friendship With A Comedy Legend Who Couldn't Stand Diana

While King Charles III and the entire British monarchy have a reputation for being somewhat stuffy, he still has a well-known sense of humor, and it seems he managed to form something of a real friendship with an outspoken comedy icon. Before Joan Rivers' death in September 2014 at the age of 81, the TV legend formed a lengthy and close bond with the then-Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Rivers was famous for her acerbic wit, the truly staggering amount of plastic surgery she underwent, and her fearless ability to make fun of herself and everyone else she felt like, including Charles himself.

Despite often being in her comedic crosshairs, it seems the future King of England took it all in stride and forged a real connection with the comedian that lasted years. What makes their friendship all the more interesting, however, is just how much it seems that Rivers had open disdain for Charles' first wife, Princess Diana. She never shied away from expressing his dislike for the late princess – but that didn't keep Rivers from being one of only a few American celebrities to get an invite to Charles and Camilla's wedding back in 2005.

Back in 2011, Rivers praised Charles and Camilla for having "a great sense of humor" (via E! Online) and said of Charles, "He is so charming, so humorous... I think he will be a very good monarch. He is a very smart man, and I adore him." Charles was equally adoring in his memorial message honoring Rivers after her death. "[She] was an extraordinary woman with an original and indefatigable spirit, an unstoppable sense of humor and an enormous zest for life," Charles shared (via Page Six). "She will be hugely missed and utterly irreplaceable."

Joan Rivers was no stranger to controversy, and would often get called out for making jokes that many found inappropriate or led to bad blood, like her infamous one-sided feud with Michelle Obama. Rivers would target anyone if she thought there was a joke to be made. She would often poke fun at Diana and how unhappy Diana was with her life as a princess, even after her tragic death in 1997. Rivers even got in some hot water in 2012 when she made a quip about Diana's fatal traffic collision during an episode of her E! talk show "Fashion Police."

Then, in 2013, Rivers generated controversy once again when she targeted Diana during her set at the Just For Laughs Festival. "I hated her. And you know why I didn't like her? Because she didn't know when the good times were with her... She [always said], 'I'm not happy, I'm not happy, I'm not happy,'" Rivers said, explaining why Diana had no reason to be miserable during her time in the spotlight. "She was tall, she was thin, she was gorgeous, she was young, she was rich, she had a husband who didn't want to sleep with her! She had a crown!"

While the drama surrounding Diana's divorce from Charles in the mid-1990s generated a lot of controversy, many people supported Diana and were critical of Charles and the monarchy for how their marriage fell apart. While there are countless rumors still swirling around Diana and her death, Rivers is among the rare few celebrities who have voiced criticism of the late princess, and her overt disdain for Diana does cast her decades-long friendship with Charles in a different, unusual light.