Anniversary of Charles and Diana divorce marks end of royal marriage

Today marks the anniversary of the formal end of one of the most watched royal marriages in modern history. On August 28, 1996, Prince Charles and Diana, then Princess of Wales, finalized a divorce that followed a highly public separation and a marriage that began at St Pauls Cathedral in 1981. The settlement left Diana with a place at Kensington Palace and joint custody of their sons, but it also stripped her of the style Her Royal Highness, a change that she found deeply upsetting, according to contemporaneous accounts and those who knew her.

Reports on the financial terms of the settlement vary. Many contemporaneous outlets reported a lump sum of 17 million pounds with an annual payment of 350,000 to run Diana's private office. Other accounts have cited a larger figure, reporting a 22.5 million pound settlement and an annual payment of 600,000. Whatever the precise numbers, sources agree that the agreement allowed Diana to retain the title Diana, Princess of Wales while relinquishing the HRH style, a decision that was taken by the late Queen Elizabeth II, according to biographers.

Losing the HRH status had practical and symbolic consequences. Media accounts at the time noted...