A royal affair, a leaked phone call, and a quip about tampons: How 'Tampongate' wreaked havoc for Diana, Charles, and the royal family

Prince Charles met Camilla Shand at a Polo match in Windsor Great Park, according to Time. It was 1970 and he was 22 years old while she was 24, according to the outlet.

The pair began dating, but it was short lived when Charles began his service in the Royal Navy in 1972, Insider previously reported.

While Charles was deployed, Camilla got engaged to army cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles in February 1973. They married in the summer, both maintaining a close relationship with Charles, who would be the godfather to their first child.

Charles met Lady Diana Spencer in 1977 when she was 16 and he was 29 years old. He was dating her older sister, Sarah, at the time.

Charles and Diana began seeing each other in 1980 and were engaged the following year. When asked during the engagement announcement if they were in love, the prince replied: "whatever 'in love' means."

When they first met in 1980, Diana said she felt she was a "threat" to Camilla, Insider previously reported.

Camilla requested a lunch with Diana shortly after her engagement to Charles was announced, Town and Country Magazine reported, citing Andrew Morton's book "Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words."

"Such exciting news about the engagement. Do let's have lunch soon when the Prince of Wales goes to Australia and New Zealand. He's going to be away for three weeks. I'd love to see the ring, lots of love, Camilla," she wrote in a letter to Diana, per Morton's book.

During their lunch, Diana started to have suspicions about Camilla's relationship with Charles, according to Morton.

Charles and Diana were married on July 29, 1981, before some 3,500 guests at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was called the "wedding of the century."

The pair welcomed Prince William in 1982 and Prince Harry in 1984. By 1986, Charles had rekindled his not-so-quiet romance with Camilla, Insider previously reported.

Both Diana and Andrew Parker Bowles (Camilla's husband) were aware of the affair, according to Morton and biographer Penny Junor, who wrote about Camilla being "the most notorious mistress in the world."

Diana also began a string of affairs in 1986, including one with cavalry officer James Hewitt. During a 1995 interview, Diana admitted to the affair, saying she "adored" and was "in love with" Hewitt, according to Town and Country Magazine. Their relationship ended around 1991.

The phone call took place on December 17, 1989, while both Charles and Camilla were still married to their respective spouses. The transcript below wouldn't be printed until 1993, according to Time.

Charles: Oh, God. I'll just live inside your trousers or something. It would be much easier!

Camilla (laughing): What are you going to turn into, a pair of knickers? (Both laugh). Oh, you're going to come back as a pair of knickers.

Charles: Or, God forbid, a Tampax. Just my luck! (Laughs)

Camilla: You are a complete idiot! (Laughs) Oh, what a wonderful idea.

Charles: My luck to be chucked down a lavatory and go on and on forever swirling round on the top, never going down.

Camilla (laughing): Oh darling!

Charles: Until the next one comes through.

Camilla: Oh, perhaps you could just come back as a box.

Charles: What sort of box?

Camilla: A box of Tampax, so you could just keep going.

Charles: That's true.

Camilla: Repeating yourself … (laughing). Oh, darling, oh I just want you now.

In late 1992, the prime minister announced Charles and Diana's separation.

"This decision has been reached amicably and they will both continue to participate fully in the upbringing of their children," British Prime Minister John Major said on December 9, 1992, per Cosmopolitan.

The prince and princess were both spotted at separate engagements that day.

In the wake of the separation announcement, multiple media outlets published the "Tampongate" tape transcript. Some outlets referred to the tape as "Camillagate" in reference to Charles' mistress. Others speculated whether the tape would prevent Charles from someday ascending to the throne.

The public interest was so rapt that people could call a phone number to listen to the tape of the actual phone call, Dominic West, who played Prince Charles in season 5 of "The Crown," told Entertainment Weekly.

A full transcript of the call depicts Charles and Camilla playing the age-old lover's game of refusing to hang up the phone on one another at the end of the call.

Charles: Night.

Camilla: Bye. Press the button.

Charles: Going to press the tit.

Camilla: All right darling, I wish you were pressing mine.

Charles: God, I wish I was. Harder and harder.

Camilla: Oh, darling.

Charles: Night.

Camilla: Night.

Charles: Love you.

Camilla: Love you. Press the tit.

Charles: Night.

Camilla: Night.

In June 1994, Prince Charles admitted to his affair – though he didn't name his mistress – in an interview with documentary filmmaker Jonathan Dimbleby, according to The New York Times.

On the night the interview was aired, Diana stunned at an event in London when she wore a daring dress that would later be dubbed "The Revenge Dress."

Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles officially divorced in 1995 after over 20 years of marriage and two children.

Diana gave a tell-all interview to the BBC in 1995, in which she spoke openly about Charles' affair while admitting to her own affairs as well. She also discussed her health issues, including post-partum depression and bulimia, according to Town and Country Magazine.

"There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," the princess famously said, referencing Camilla without naming her.

The interview would later be revealed to have been obtained unethically by the BBC's Martin Bashir, but it still sent shockwaves through the royal atmosphere.

The Prince and Princess of Wales officially divorced on August 28, 1996, according to Town and Country Magazine.

In the divorce agreement, Diana kept her apartments at Kensington Palace and shared custody of her sons with Charles. She relinquished her title of "Her Royal Highness" but kept the "Princess of Wales" honorific.

The public perception of Camilla was incredibly negative following Charles and Diana's divorce.

Even before the royal divorce, questions lingered about Prince Charles' future relationships, as the Church of England did not permit divorced people to remarry so long as their previous spouse was still living, according to The New York Times. Camilla was also not a suitable candidate due to her divorce. Reporters who covered the royals at the time speculated whether Charles "will inflict Camilla on the country as Queen," calling it an "unwelcome" prospect, per the Times.

Charles wanted to introduce Camilla to the world as his girlfriend shortly after the divorce, an effort that was waylaid by Diana's tragic death in 1997, according to The Guardian.

Diana was killed in a fatal car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. She was 36.

The crash in the early hours of August 31 also claimed the life of her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, according to The Associated Press. Their driver – a top security employee at the Ritz hotel the couple had just dined at owned by Fayed's father – lost control of the car as paparazzi gave chase, according to the AP. Though the reports have been partially disputed by the Fayed family, officials said the driver was intoxicated, per the AP.

Princes William and Harry were 15 and 12, respectively, when their mother died, according to Today.

Charles was remarried to Camilla in a civil ceremony on April 9, 2005. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip did not attend the ceremony, though they did come to the reception at Windsor Castle, Insider previously reported.

At the request of Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla gained the title Queen Consort upon the late Queen's death in September 2022. It was a signal of the late Queen's ultimate approval of their relationship, meant to ease Charles' transition to king, the Associated Press reported.