Prince Charles married Princess Diana in 1981, but before they said ‘I Do’ he reportedly dated about 20 women in a bid to find the perfect royal bride
There was a lot of pressure on Prince Charles to find a nice wife, settle down and produce an heir.
But it took him a while to find Princess Diana and there were lots of other potential suitors along the way.
Anna Wallace was the closest he came to finding a royal bride before Diana, and he reportedly proposed to her twice.
Anna, who was nicknamed “Whiplash Wallace” due to her fiery personality and impressive hunting skills, rejected him on both occasions.
According to the Express , Anna, the daughter of a Scottish landowner, ended things after a row at the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday party at Windsor Castle.
She apparently accused Charles of ignoring her at the ball, and was overheard telling him: “I have never been so badly treated in my life.
“You’ve left me all alone all evening and now you will have to continue without me.”
Oh dear…
Anna ended up marrying Johnny Hesketh, the youngest son of a Lord, but they later divorced.
During his bachelor days Charles also dated Diana’s sister Lady Sarah Spencer.
Not much is known about their brief relationship in 1977, but it’s understood it all ended after she did an interview with the Mirror’s James Whittaker .
James met Lady Sarah when she joined Prince Charles for a holiday in the Swiss ski resort Klosters.
Recalling the event in 2011, James wrote: “My mission improbable as a young journalist was to discover who Charles would marry and be first with the news.
“So when Sarah introduced me to Diana I should have taken more notice of the shy, gangly-16-year old.
“Sarah by contrast was a lively, lovely redhead and I was captivated.
“Putting obvious obstacles aside – like she was totally out of my league and stepping out with the most eligible bachelor in the land – I chanced my arm.”
James suggested the pair meet for lunch when they got back to London, and she accepted.
He said: “Unfortunately another reporter overheard our exchange and also invited himself along, which added gooseberry to the menu.
“Sarah was disarmingly frank about her boyfriend and declared she would not marry Charles “if he were the dustman or the King of England”.
“That was good news from where I was sitting and Sarah seemed delighted I was so keen to share it with the nation.”
But when Charles found out, he wasn’t happy.
He reportedly told said to Sarah: “You have just done something incredibly stupid.”
Despite the slightly awkward history, Sarah was said to completely approve of Charles and Diana’s relationship.
According to the Guardian, she said: “I introduced them, I’m cupid.”
Lady Sarah married Neil McCorquodale the year before Diana and Charles tied the know.
They now have three children, Emily, George, and Celia.
She is still close to her nephews Princes William and Harry, and attended Meghan and Harry’s wedding earlier this year.