Highgrove House, which King Charles III has called his home for more than four decades and is widely regarded as one of the most personal places in the British Crown’s history, once became a mental prison for the late Princess Diana. Instead of a sanctuary, she felt trapped inside her own home.
According to the Royal biographer Andrew Morton, the Princess struggled to feel at home at Highgrove, believing the nearby presence of the now Queen Camilla Parker. The state that had once been a place of peace became a symbol of the tensions that marked the royal marriage and, ultimately, their divorce.
On the other hand, Highgrove became a “blank canvas” for King Charles III, where he has spent more than 45 years transforming the estate into one of Britain’s most recognised private gardens. There’s no doubt that Princess Diana had a different view of the place, which made King Charles III feel deeply offended by her thoughts on the home.
This rare insight offered by Morton unveils another pivotal piece of Princess Diana’s mind about the Royal Family years before her tragic accident. The celebrated home is now seen through the two perspectives of the royals, and there’s no way to amend the damage caused to the Princess.
