How old was Diana when she met Charles? The true story behind The Crown explained

16 November 2020, 15:01

The Crown's Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin talk bringing their nans on dates with them

By Sam Prance

The Crown season 4 viewers are only just realising the huge age difference between Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

The Crown season 4 is finally here and it introduces Diana but fans cannot get over how old she was when she met Charles.

Yesterday (Nov 15), The Crown season 4 came out on Netflix and it's already the Number 1 show on the platform. As teased last year, season 4 sees Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) and Princess Diana (Emma Corrin) join the series and it's every bit as dramatic as you would expect. Just like previous seasons, season 4 is based on the real history of the royal family.

READ MORE: The Crown fans are horrified by how Prince Charles treats Diana in season 4

The show is filled with shocking moments but it's the age difference between Charles and Diana that's breaking the internet.

What is the age difference between Charles and Diana?

Lady Diana was first introduced to Prince Charles when she was just 16 years old in November 1977. She was born on July 1st 1961. Charles, on the other hand, was 29 years old when they met. He was born on November 14th 1948. Charles was dating Diana's older sister Sarah at the time. Charles met Diana after she and Sarah both went to watch him play polo.

Charles reportedly took an immediate romantic interest in Diana. However, it wasn't until mid-1980, when Diana had turned 18 years old, that they began dating. He then proposed to Diana in February 1981 and they got married in July that year. Given the fact that Diana was still a child when she met Charles, many people are shocked by their age difference.

One viewer of The Crown tweeted: "I was today years old when I learned that Charles was 29 when he met a 16-year-old Diana and said 'I remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was,'" alongside a meme from The Inbetweeners in which Simon says: "I dunno, I think that's a bit dodgy mate." It has since gone viral.

Another fan tweeted: "Eww a few scenes in and we have fully grown Charles being enamoured with a school age Diana."

Diana passed away when she was just 36 years old in 1997. Charles later married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005. He is currently 72 years old.