Prince William
Prince William witnessed many arguments throughout his parents’ marriage. The Duke of Cambridge is pictured speaking on stage at the Tusk Conservation Awards on Nov. 08, 2018 in London, England. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Long before Prince Charles and Princess Diana got a divorce, their marriage was falling apart behind palace walls. However, both Prince William and Prince Harry were forced to watch as their parents’ relationship took a turn for the worse.

Charles and Diana may have officially divorced in 1996, but in 1991 their marriage had reached its breaking point and a legal separation was looming. Although the two gave their relationship one last chance, William was forever changed during those final months.

In Katie Nicholl’s book “William and Harry,” the author noted Prince William became upset with his parents, who would constantly argue in front of him and Harry. “[William] resented being part of what he knew to be a sham,” she explained.

William often witnessed arguments between Diana and Charles that would leave the Princess of Wales crying her eyes out. “The strains in the marriage had taken their toll on [him],” Nicholl added.

While Prince William began to resent his parents for the position they put him in, he later grew even closer to Princess Diana, who would often seek comfort from her son amid her marital woes.

Unfortunately, a year after Diana finalized her divorce from Prince Charles, she died in a car crash in Paris.

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