Prince Charles Had A Fling With Diana’s Sister – But Then She Blew It In An Interview

Ever since 2005, Prince Charles has been happily married to Camilla Parker Bowles. However, the prince’s love life has sometimes been complicated, and before he met Diana there was someone else in the picture. This was none other than her sister, Lady Sarah. And perhaps she could have cemented a position by Charles’ side; that is, until she started talking to some journalists.

Royal Connections

Lady Sarah – or, to use her full name, Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia McCorquodale – grew up alongside the royal family just like her sister Diana. She was a friend of Charles’ younger brothers Edward and Andrew. It was apparently the latter who first introduced the young woman to Charles back in 1977, and he’d taken an interest.

A Match, In Theory...

On paper, Charles and Sarah might have seemed like a good match. They were reasonably close in age – contrary to Charles and Diana, who had a 12-year age difference between them. And Sarah was of course a member of the Spencer family, which dates back to the 15th century and contains many highly thought-of aristocrats.

Familial Problems

But the Spencer family had their problems – despite their wealth and prestige. In echoes of what was to come later for Diana, the Spencer parents had a very troubled marriage. Worse still, they had lost a child. Frances and John welcomed five children in all, but the baby born ahead of Diana had passed away only ten hours after being born.

Scary Memories

In tapes Diana recorded for journalist Andrew Morton in 1991, she claimed that her father John had turned on her mother Frances. She said, “I remember seeing my father slap my mother across the face. I was hiding behind the door, and mommy was crying. I remember mommy crying an awful lot.”

Undiscussed Memories

Diana detailed the toll the unhappy marriage of her parents and their eventual divorce took on her, saying, “It was a very unhappy childhood. Always seeing our mum crying. Daddy never spoke to us about it – we could never ask questions. Very unstable, the whole thing.” Furthermore, she also believed that her parents considered her to be a “nuisance.”

The Third Daughter

According to Diana, her parents were desperate for a boy instead. She said, “I couldn’t understand why I was perhaps a nuisance to have around, which in later years I’ve perceived as being part of the whole question of the child who [had] died before me. It was a son and both my parents were crazy to have a son and heir. ‘What a bore, we’re going to have to try again.’ And then comes a third daughter.”

Unsuitable Matches

Life would have been very different for all of the Spencers if Sarah rather than Diana had married Charles. But there were strict rules in place about exactly what sort of woman the heir to the throne was permitted to marry. The woman Charles loved the most was Camilla Shand – but she wasn’t a virgin, and thus she was considered not suitable by Charles’ relatives.

'Impeccable Social Background'

When Diana and Charles became engaged in 1981, much was made of the fact that the then 19-year-old perfectly fit the picture of a royal bride. Reporting on the news, The New York Times described Diana as having “an impeccable social background suitable for someone who may one day be queen.”

Over The Moon

The newspaper reported that Sarah had once been “a social companion” of Charles. But Sarah seemed delighted as she told the publication, “He met Miss Right and she met Mr. Right. They just clicked. They have the same giggly sense of humor, and they both love ballet and opera and sport in all forms. It’s perfect, and they are both over the moon about it.”

No Qualms Whatsoever

Sarah also described herself to the media as “cupid” – the person who had made the exciting romance happen in the first place. And she seemed to bear no ill will whatsoever about her sister marrying the prince who she’d once dated. Indeed, she got married herself in 1980 to a man called Neil McCorquodale.

Royal Cousins

Sarah went on to have three children with her husband, who are cousins of course to William and Harry. These were Emily, George, and Celia McCorquodale and they were born over a six-year period from 1983. Twenty-three years later Emily married James T.R. Hutt, and by 2016 she’d had two children with him – making Sarah a grandmother.

Making Way For Diana

According to Andrew Morton, although Sarah was fine with losing Charles, she did resent her sister a little for her fame. In his 1992 book, Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words, he wrote, “Diana’s sister, Sarah, for so long the Spencer girl in the spotlight, now had to make way for Diana.”

Adjustment Period

Diana’s status as the wife of a future king made her one of the most famous people in the world. Andrew wrote that while Sarah “was happy for her younger sister, she admitted to being rather envious of Diana’s newfound fame… It took her some time to adjust to her new billing as sister to the future Princess of Wales.”

'The Person I Can Trust'

Of course, what happened after the royal wedding is well known. The marriage of Diana and Charles was for the most part a desperately unhappy one. Towards the end, the former became isolated and anxious. She reportedly called Sarah, who was also one of her ladies-in-waiting, “the only person I know I can trust.”

The Other Sister

However, Diana’s other sister Jane was a different matter. She was married to Sir Robert Fellowes, the Queen’s private secretary. So, when Diana feuded with the royal family, she found herself unable to take a side. According to biographers, Diana was barely speaking to Jane at the time of her divorce in 1996.

The Shocking Moment

Then just one year later, the Spencer family was changed forever. During the early morning of August 31, 1997, Diana’s car crashed in Paris. The Princess of Wales was pulled alive from the wreckage – but died as a result of her injuries. She was a mere 36 years old and left behind two children, William and Harry.

Worldwide Broadcast

Suddenly all the Spencer siblings were under scrutiny from the media as the whole nation grieved for Diana. Sarah and Jane went with Charles to retrieve Diana’s body from Paris and fly back to Britain. And then came the funeral, which was broadcast all over the world and watched by millions.

Soft Words Spoken

When it was Sarah’s turn to speak, she read a poem by Mary Lee Hall titled “Turn Again to Life.” It went, “For my sake – turn again to life and smile, nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do. Something to comfort other hearts than thine. Complete those dear unfinished tasks of mine, and I, perchance, may therein comfort you.”

Through Tears

Diana’s brother Charles, meanwhile, took a different tack at the funeral. He used his eulogy to express his anger at the royal family and said that his sister was “the most hunted person in the modern age.” He also referred to himself and the other Spencers as Diana’s “blood family” and said that they would not allow William and Harry “to suffer the anguish that used regularly to drive you to tearful despair.”

'Unfinished Tasks'

Sarah, for her part, did in the end take on those “dear unfinished tasks” she had referred to. She became president of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, which sought to donate money to good causes. It existed until 2012 and raised millions – some of that being contributed by Diana’s friend Elton John.

Letter Shredding

In the years after that Sarah also revealed that she had destroyed some of Diana’s things after she died. During the 2002 trial of Diana’s old butler Paul Burrell, accused of stealing items from the former’s home, Sarah said that while going through her sister’s possessions she had shredded some of the letters she found.

The Right Thing

Sarah said in court, "The letters were just thank you letters and the clothing was underwear and I thought it was appropriate I should destroy them myself and know it was done. I did not want them to fall into wrong hands. Someone might sell them – outfits she wore – I thought it was easier to destroy them. There was a higher market value for her clothes and property than for other people.”

Unanswered Questions

As Diana’s death became history, the Spencers retreated from the spotlight and remained that way. Sarah did, however, allow herself to be interviewed for the 2017 documentary Diana, 7 Days, and she mused on her sister’s death. She said, “[Diana] was religious in putting on her seatbelt. Why didn’t she put it on that night? I’ll never know.”

Accidental Leak

The whole world is familiar with the story of Charles and Diana, and the tragic way it all ended. There is, of course, no way of knowing whether a marriage between Charles and Sarah would have resulted in divorce as well. But the reason they split up in the first place is a complicated one. And while talking to the press in 1978, Sarah leaked far more than she should have done.

Big Oops

Speaking to a pair of journalists while still dating the prince, Sarah declared, “I’m not in love with Prince Charles. I’m a whirlwind sort of lady, as opposed to a person who goes in for slow-developing courtships. She then did the big no-no of talking about a royal’s personal thoughts, saying, “He doesn’t want to marry anyway.”

Slip Of The Tongue

Sarah went on to say that Charles was “not ready for marriage yet” and that “our whole approach has always been a brotherly-sisterly one – never anything else.” When asked by the journalists who she thought the future Queen of England might be, she answered, “I don’t think he’s met her yet.”

Unsuitable For The Crown

And there was more; Sarah told the journalists she had previously suffered problems with alcohol and anorexia. Furthermore, the young woman added that she’d had “thousands of boyfriends.” The interview appeared to sound the death knell for the relationship between Charles and Sarah.

Talking Too Much

In a 1980 interview with a journalist named Danae Brook, Diana referred back to her sister’s minor scandal. Referring to the royal family, she said, “I don’t really know why they like me. You see my sister Sarah was going out with Charles last year and she talked about it to the press, but she talked too much and they murdered her.”

Selected By Charles

Diana went on, “I’m okay because I haven’t got a background. That’s what everyone else seems to have. I mean I haven’t had a chance to have that kind of background, I’m still only 19!” She also implied throughout the interview that she had been chosen by Charles because she was a virgin – while Sarah wasn’t.

Trying To Be First

Many years later in 2011 one of the journalists who had interviewed Sarah penned an article looking back on the incident. James Whittaker wrote for the Mirror, “I first met the then Lady Sarah Spencer when she accompanied Prince Charles to the Swiss ski resort Klosters. My mission improbable as a young journalist was to discover who Charles would marry and be first with the news.”

The 'Obvious' Choice

Whittaker went on, “So when Sarah introduced me to Diana I should have taken more notice of the shy, gangly 16-year-old. Sarah by contrast was a lively, lovely redhead and I was captivated. Putting obvious obstacles aside – like she was totally out of my league and stepping out with the most eligible bachelor in the land – I chanced my arm.”

Much To Say

The journalist continued, “And surprisingly she accepted my suggestion of lunch on our return to London. Unfortunately, another reporter overheard our exchange and also invited himself along, which added gooseberry to the menu.” Nevertheless, Sarah had plenty to say when she sat down to lunch with them.

An Unforgettable Line

Whittaker then quoted for his article what was the most well-known part of the interview. He said, “Sarah was disarmingly frank about her boyfriend and declared she would not marry Charles ‘if he were the dustman or the King of England.’” And that particular line would be remembered for years to come.

Simple As That

Time magazine, meanwhile, also published the dustman quote in 1978. According to them, Sarah had also said, “Charles makes me laugh a lot. I really enjoy being with him,” but also, “there is no chance of my marrying him. I’m not in love with him.”

Past Tense

Whittaker claimed in his article that “Charles was furious when he saw the article and Wikipedia claims that he told Sarah, ‘You have just done something incredibly stupid.’” But whether or not Charles actually did say that to his girlfriend, Whittaker didn’t confirm. He concluded, “So our meal of smoked salmon and fish pie put whatever royal future Sarah might have had firmly in the past.”

Spencer Siblings

But of course, Sarah is still connected to the royals. Both Sarah and Jane have remained involved in the lives of their nephews. Both women attended the ceremony when Harry became a pilot with the Army Air Corps in 2010. And all of the Spencer siblings attended William’s wedding the following year.

The Golden Ticket

When it was Harry’s turn to marry in 2018, a friend of his told Vanity Fair, “[The prince] has always kept in close touch with the Spencers and they have all received invitations. [He] gets on well with his aunts and uncle and they have met Meghan. His cousins all have the golden ticket – an invite to the ceremony and reception and the evening party.”

Among The First

Both women were also present when Harry’s son Archie was christened in July 2019 – although their brother was not. They appeared in the official photo, which led the media to speculate they were there as a symbolic nod to Diana. Apparently, the two were also among the first people told about Archie’s arrival when it happened.

All Right In The End

Sarah is still married to Neil McCorquodale, and her children are doing well. All are married now, and Emily overcame a rare form of cancer in 2011. As for Charles, he married Camilla in 2005. So, Sarah and the prince did end up with good, but separate, lives in the end.