Royal Romances – Flings, Scandals, and Media Scrutiny

She Turned Down A Prince

Charles’ grand-uncle and mentor Earl Louis Mountbatten was a huge influence in the prince’s life. Mountbatten encouraged Charles to marry a “young and inexperienced girl” and acted as a matchmaker for the prince. The late Earl’s personal family photograph albums were unveiled publicly for the first time in March 2017, and it was revealed that the first woman Charles proposed to shot him down.

The woman, Amanda Knatchbull, was Mountbatten’s granddaughter and Charles’ cousin, and she was considered an ideal marriage prospect. Charles was already involved with Camila, which led people to make unfavorable comparisons to the scandalous Edward VIII and his romantic life. Mountbatten felt that a marriage to Knatchbull would improve the prince’s reputation. Charles proposed to her in 1979 while the two were on holiday together. She said no, citing the fact that they were too close and that Charles felt like a brother to her.