Through the final photographs clicked of the royal couple, there were signs that showed there was no coming back from their damaged relationship.
When Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage broke down to an irreparable point, the air between them became so tense that even the people around them could see that they were not quite the same. Towards the very end of their marriage, the agitation they had was palpable to the public. Their body language and their stiffness gave the world signs of their bond wearing out.
However, there was one particular instance that revealed to the public that there was nothing that could reverse the damage done to their relationship. And that moment took place when the Prince and Princess visited India in 1992. According to Express, when they were in India for a royal tour, Prince Charles had left Princess Diana behind to see the Taj Mahal alone while he traveled to the city of Bangalore to be a part of a business meeting.
Princess Diana was reportedly upset when she had to visit the world-famous monument alone. While she was there, a photograph of her was taken while she sat on the bench outside the Taj Mahal. In 1980, Prince Charles had sat on the very same bench when he visited the historic site. He was a bachelor at that time and he even made a promise when he visited the monument—to bring his future wife to the romantic Taj Mahal, which is seen as a symbol of love.
However, when he finally did visit India with his wife in 1992, he spent his time with business leaders while Princess Diana had no choice but to visit the Taj Mahal alone. Her unhappiness was apparent in her posture; her expression and her body language are believed to have reflected the secret of their failing marriage.
This was explained by Anthony Holden, a royal biographer who spoke about the picture in a documentary titled, Royalty Close Up: The Photography of Kent Gavin, according to Express UK.
While talking about the photograph, Holden said, "Towards the end, during what we called the War of the Waleses, she certainly knowingly consciously used the press photographers, particularly that famous picture of her alone and looking miserable outside the Taj Mahal."
"It was kind of a postcard home to the general public to say ‘I’m not happy in this marriage, there are three people,'" the royal biographer added, referring to the woman Prince Charles was having an affair with, who is now his wife, as the third person in their marriage.
When Princess Diana was later asked by the media about her experience of visiting the Taj Mahal, as reported by the BBC, she said it was a very healing experience. When asked what she meant by that, "Work it out for yourself," was what the Princess of Wales responded with. She was someone who knew how powerful imagery could be and her picture sitting alone in front of the Taj Mahal was the first of a series of photographs that depicted the breaking apart of their marriage.
Later, during the same royal tour in India, there was another moment that showed how out of sync Prince Charles and Princess Diana were. On Valentine's Day, the couple attended a polo match where "Charles tried to kiss her and she turned her back on him and he’s kissing the back of her neck," said royal photographer, Kent Gavin in the documentary, as quoted by Express UK. "That set it all off in London again."
For those who had doubts about their unhappy marriage, things became a lot clearer when Prince Charles and Princess Diana took their final trip together to South Korea in November 1992.
"The Glums" was what the couple was being called during that trip because they couldn't even hide the stress of their marriage. Photographer Gavin pointed out to one particular picture that showed their misery.
"The picture that summed up everything about break up was the trip to South Korea. They were called The Glums. They were not happy," the royal photographer said in the documentary. "Even when they were standing together, they were looking at each other like that ‒ she was bored, he was bored. We ran the picture of the two of them looking in opposite directions. The whole trip was simply not right."
What the pictures showed about the marriage were finally confirmed just a few weeks after their trip to South Korea when it was announced on December 9, 1992, that the Prince and Princess had separated.
Sadly, Princess Diana did not get long enough to live life on her own terms, finally free of the royal expectations. The Prince and Princess of Wales officially got divorced in 1996 but she tragically lost her life in 1997. On the other hand, Prince Charles tied the knot with Camilla Parker Bowles in April 2005 after many years of having an affair with her.
References:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1278594/royal-family-news-prince-charles-princess-diana-photograph-india-taj-mahal-spt
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36058295
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/charles-and-diana-divorce
