Princess Diana Fans Voice Fury Ahead of King Charles' Coronation

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are due to be crowned almost 18 years after a rollercoaster wedding that was haunted by Princess Diana's memory.

When they married, Buckingham Palace said Camilla would not be given the title of Queen and would be known instead as Queen Consort.

The move was intended as a show of respect for Princess Diana, who at the time had died eight years earlier.

Now, nearly 26 years after the princess was killed in a Paris car crash in August 1997, all caveats have been removed and Charles and Camilla will be crowned side by side as King and Queen.

For many royalists, it is the moment when a couple who always loved each other finally gets their happy ending.

For some, however, the memory of Prince Diana looms large over the historic ceremony, stoked by controversial comments from a former BBC royal correspondent.

Jenny Bond told Sky News that Diana felt Camilla deserved recognition for her discretion during her affair with Charles.

"I would just say about Camilla, that I sat with Diana in her drawing room and talked about Camilla.

"And Camilla, in Diana's view, had been loyal, discreet, and deserved some form of recognition. Well, she's going to get it on Saturday."

The comment, which may ultimately not have been quite so helpful to Camilla as intended, sparked a wave of social media criticism.

Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, author of This is Why I Resist, wrote on Twitter: "Since Diana is dead and can't deny/confirm Jenny Bond's atrocious statement that she thought Camilla deserved recognition for being a 'loyal discreet' cheat with Charles, it's OK to view it as an unhinged baseless lie. I will.

"Prince Harry is right about Camilla being dangerous."

Meanwhile, Rebecah Boynton, a domestic violence survivor, and activist, wrote on Twitter: "This coronation feels like a celebration of another woman's betrayal trauma, and for many of us with betrayal trauma of our own, celebrating Charles and Camilla is simply impossible. If this is you, be sure to take care of yourself this weekend, and keep Diana in your thoughts."

The account is particularly cutting as Camilla works with charities who support victims of domestic violence and as recently as November spoke out in support of the United Nations' "16 days of activism against gender-based violence."

Others joked that it was Diana who brought the rain that looked ready to soak royal fans who gathered in London, many sleeping in tents overnight.

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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