Even though their marriage officially lasted 15 years, King (then-Prince) Charles and Princess Diana's relationship began to deteriorate quickly, which tensions between the pair reportedly running high long before they formally separated in 1992.
Still, according to Diana’s closest aide at the time—her former private secretary Patrick Jephson—those closest to the late princess thought there was still hope for the estranged couple right up until her bombshell Panorama interview.
“It was not unreasonable to hope that before Panorama there could still be a royal reconciliation," Jephson told People, identifying the instantly-infamous interview as the moment that all hope was officially lost for a reconciliation between Diana and Charles. "After Panorama, there was no way back for Diana and the royal family."
The idea that Diana's Panorama interview marked a point of no return for the long-troubled marriage isn't exactly surprising, considering the deeply-personal dirty laundry Diana aired during the interview, including opening up about Charles' affair with his now-wife Camilla Parker Bowles, as well as her own infidelity.
Before that moment, however, Jephson insists "it was not unreasonable to hope that a reconciliation might yet be possible" between the then-Prince and Princess of Wales.
“Before the ink was finally dry on the divorce documents, there were still grounds for people like me to hope that Charles and Diana could find a way through their difficulties," he continued. "It has been known to happen. And there would have been enormous public benefit from that if they had."
As it turned out, however, Diana's still-controversial Panorama interview was the catalyst that prompted Queen Elizabeth to urge the long-separated couple to formally divorce. Just a month after the tell-all aired, Buckingham Palace announced the Queen’s recommendation publicly: “After considering the present situation, the Queen wrote to both the prince and princess earlier this week and gave them their view, supported by the Duke of Edinburgh, that an early divorce is desirable.”
