Diana's age at time of marriage.

[Peedoffo]

I'm in my 20s so I really don't remember Diana. I did more reading on the subject and I can't believe the establishment thought it was ok to marry a 19 year old off to a man 13 years older than her who had no interest in her. No wonder she struggled this was the 1980s as well not the Victorian times! Could anyone around then tell me , why did her family back/support the marriage? Was there any concerns from the public ? I would be horrified at the thought of marrying my DD off at 19 to a much older man who wasn't really interest.

Her family were desperate for the marriage. They wanted to be linked to the royal family and they wanted her to be Queen

In those times it wasn't that unusual.

I think people getting married younger then made it more normal, plus many families would be delighted their daughter would be marrying the future King I suppose. Nowadays I think there would, rightly, be much more criticism.

I remember my family muttering about how she was far too young to do it.

I’ve often thought this too. It’s hard to imagine this happening today.

In those times it wasn't that unusual
It was.

There was an appreciation that he had to marry a virgin so i suspect there was a grudging acceptance that his bride would need to be younger than him.
People believed it was a fairytale romance.

They only met 13 times before getting married.

Charles needed to get married. All the young women of his class couldn't wait for him to make up his mind so married other men. Diana was the last virgin left of (just about) marriageable age so the deal was done. He needed a virgin to bear his children.

A virgin 🤢🤢 stuck in the Victorian times in the 1980s yuck.

Her family wanted it because they wanted one of their girls to be the future Queen. I believe her sister was considered at one point.

I think everyone on both sides knew he didn’t love her. I think she was young and got swept up in the romanticism of marrying a Prince and thought he would eventually love her. But I think she knew, he wasn’t in love with her. Camilla and Charles wasn’t exactly a secret.

I presume they (everyone on both sides) expected her to settle into a life of what we now call coparenting and look at the marriage like it was a job, she wanted to be loved (understandably). I have always been a bit shocked that her family couldn’t see that wouldn’t be the life for her.

I don't think it was that she was so young, that wasn't that unusual then, it was the age difference.

I also think everyone else involved in the arrangent fully understood that his relationship with Camilla would continue, it was/is perfectly normal for the POW to have a mistress alongside a more suitable wife, in their eyes.

I sometimes wonder if Diana also knew this was part of the deal and whether the public heartbreak was part of her excellent playing of the media or whether she really was sent into it completely naive.

Camilla had married Andrew Parker Bowles , someone else had said no so he was under pressure and his bride had to be a virgin .
Diana’s granny and the QM were great friends and really pushed the marriage . Diana was star struck and everyone was swept along with the supposed fairytale .

Did they take her word for it that she was a virgin or send her off for an inspection?

Also, her family knew that she had issues, but just promoted her as a fun, country girl. She'd grown up close to the royal family and knew them well. Her sister had dated Charles.
In the engagement photos and interview she looked thrilled to bits.

She was inspected

Lore has it there was an inspection. Whether that’s true or not I couldn’t swear.

Diana’s uncle Lord Fermoy said in an interview with the Daily Star: “Purity seems to be at a premium when it comes to discussing a possible bride for Prince Charles at the moment . . . Diana, I can assure you, has never had a lover.”

Lord Fermoy - winter of 1980.

I read that she was checked for fertility. Not quite the same thing, but certainly not pleasant.

I'm nearly 10 years younger than Diana. I can name several friends who were married at 19. I married at 22. It wasn't unusual then. The age difference was.

She had just turned 20 before the wedding I believe? My DF was 21 when my parents married at a similar time, so I don't think her age was unusual, more the age gap.

I think had it happened she would have told Andrew Morton to put that in his book, surely?

Is there actually a definitive test to prove virginity?

It's incredibly sad when I think of it. Her family (the people who were supposed to have her best interests at heart) encouraged a naive young teenager into a loveless marriage on his side anyway. They just wanted a brood mare.
I was a young mother and young to marry but they hadn't even met many times. The marriage was doomed to fail.

Remember only a small % went to university and most people left school at 16. Getting married young wasn't unusual.
However, people did comment on the age difference.