While most royal watchers were shocked by the way Prince Charles cheated on Princess Diana, his father, Prince Philip, reportedly knew what was happening and did nothing to prevent it. Even worse, Queen Elizabeth’s husband allegedly encouraged Charles to follow his desires and have the affair.

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles’ cheating scandal was one of the biggest controversies to rock the royal family in recent memory. While most royal watchers were shocked by the way Charles cheated on Princess Diana, his father, Prince Philip, reportedly knew what was happening and did nothing to prevent it. Even worse, Queen Elizabeth’s husband allegedly encouraged Charles to follow his desires and have the affair.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana | Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images

Prince Philip knew Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage would not last

Charles and Diana exchanged vows in 1981 in what many fans thought was a fairy-tale come true. Around 750 million people watched the ceremony, though few expected that it would fall apart a mere 11 years later.

Charles and Diana were both unfaithful over the course of their marriage, but none of their affairs got as much coverage as his romance with Camilla. In fact, Charles affair with Camilla was easily one of the family’s biggest scandals in the 1990s, though there was a lot more to the story than originally thought.

According to RD, Philip knew that Charles’ marriage would eventually fall apart and encouraged him to cheat on Diana. Sources claim that Philip wrote a letter telling Charles to either fully commit to Diana or part ways. He also told him not to worry if things do not work out with Diana because he could always go back to Camilla.

Years later, Diana’s speech coach claimed that she knew Charles was cheating but did not find out for sure until the fifth year of their marriage.

Was Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage doomed to fail?

Most members of the public thought Camilla was to blame for Charles’ ruined marriage, but it is possible that the union was setup for failure from the very beginning. There are rumors that Charles never loved Diana and only agreed to marry her because it was good publicity for the royal family.

Charles allegedly told his close friends that he did not want to go through with the wedding, especially since he barely had the chance to get to know Diana. Prior to the ceremony, Charles and Diana only got together a little over a dozen times, hardly enough time to truly know someone.

Between Charles’ feelings towards Diana and Philip’s attitude, one could argue that he should have never married Diana. Instead, Charles could have waited for Camilla and married the person he wanted to be with the entire time. That, of course, happened in 2005, but a lot of heartache and drama could have been avoided in the interim.

Prince Philip enjoying the retired life

Despite everything that went down between Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Philip has quietly evaded the controversy. Fast forward a few decades and the Duke of Edinburgh is now enjoying life outside of the spotlight. Philip announced his retirement from royal duties a few years ago and rarely makes any more public appearances. Instead, Philip splits his time between several of the royal family’s estates, though his retired life has not been without controversy.

A few months ago, Philip found himself at the center of attention after wrecking a car near the family’s Sandringham estate. Philip was driving an SUV at the time of the accident, which involved another car carrying a child and two passengers.

After the wreck, Philip officially turned in his driver’s license and has been spending more of time in the country. The Duke of Edinburgh has not commented on the rumors surrounding Charles and Diana’s marriage.

Philip accused of rude behavior

Although Philip is known for his witty remarks, his comments have landed him in the hot seat on a number of occasions. During Prince Charles’ confirmation, for example, the Archbishop of Canterbury described Philip’s behavior as being “B****y rude!” Philip has also made some comments that would be deemed inappropriate by modern standards, though many staffers consider him one of the funniest members of the royal family.

Charles has not said anything about Philip’s involvement in his affair with Camilla. Charles is second in line to the throne and is expected to inherit the crown in the near future.