A Princess of Wales

Chapter Eight: Between Two Houses

9th of July 1995 - Kensington Palace

Taking a deep breath as he prepared to head to his father's house, William felt weighed down by the state of his parents' marriage; a marriage that left nearly everyone in its proximity rather unhappy. 

He adored and loved his mother; but as her confidant who knew her secrets and saw her vulnerabilities, he had been forced to mature early; his time at Eton was the only time that he could escape his parents drama. 

It was his mother that often stuck him in the middle of their drama, which caused a deep strain on his relationship with his father; their relationship fracturing as William felt the need to defend his fragile mother from everything. 

Harry seemed none the wiser about the troubles that their parents suffered, he was not the one that Diana spoke to about her upsets or worries. 

Two years younger than William, Harry was protected from all the troubles that continued to form between their parents; he remained Diana's favourite child, the son that she dotted upon when given the chance. 

The Queen and the Queen Mother had both expressed her concerns for the parenting that was happening that was happening between Diana and Charles of their children. 

Diana was seen as the principle parent with the children mostly with her if they weren't at boarding school, not that it stopped the attempts to turn the children against their father for not standing by her when she needed him to. 

William felt bad that he was short with his father, he felt like he was betraying his mother by even being happy when they were out in the countryside on one of the rambles that his father took them on. 

Being in the countryside was the break away from the busy city where they lived with their mother, Highgrove was a safe haven where they could do as they pleased without the media watching their every step. 

Adeline was the one most affected by their father moving out, William knew that out of both their parents Adeline was more like their father which often confused their mother to no end. 

Diana did her best to interact with the daughter that she had so little in common with, she did her best reading to her often but even William could see that she grew tired of doing so very quickly not that Adeline noticed. 

Moving to make sure that everything was ready to travel to his father's home, William looked around his bedroom wondering if his parents would ever find peace.

It wasn't fair for either of them to be stuck in this sort of limbo, still trapped in a marriage with no end in sight; the two of them only growing further hatred for the other as time dragged on.

Even after being separated for nearly two years, there seemed to be no further improvement between them; William knew that his mother was up to something that she was trying to keep quiet. 

She whispered to him that her plans would change everything, that it would all work out and she would get what she wanted; she had seemed so happy about all that but his Uncle Charles hadn't been.

Charles Spencer had been trying to caution Diana against whatever she was planning, even though William wasn't certain on what they were discussing. 

His mother always waved off her brother's concerns refusing to listen to him as he pleaded with her to listen and to make sure that she didn't say something that would get her into trouble. 

William sighed sitting down on his bed, he didn't know what she was up to but it was hard to ignore the secretive phone calls that she had been making; the hushed conversations and smiles that set his stomach on edge.