King Charles III former flame Davina Morley dies at age 75

Davina Morley, a former partner of King Charles III once regarded as a prospective queen of England, died on September 2, 2026. She was 75 years old.

Relationship with the prince and royal protocol obstacles

The granddaughter of an industrialist who established a prominent chemical company first met the monarch in 1973, shortly after Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles following an event that had deeply distressed the young heir to the throne. Known during her youth by her maiden name Davina Sheffield, she belonged to an inner circle of friends dubbed Charlie’s Angels. Observers considered her the most striking of Charles’s companions during the 1960s and 1970s, with palace accounts indicating that the prince believed he had discovered his ideal royal partner.

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Their formal courtship started in 1976 but collapsed after her former boyfriend James Beard revealed that they had previously lived together. Royal family protocol at the time strictly required Charles to select an eligible bride with an entirely unblemished private past to validate the future line of succession.

Subsequent marriage and children sharing royal names

Davina married Jake Morley in 1981. During that identical year, Charles married Diana, with whom he had stayed in communication since their first introduction in 1977. Davina and Jake subsequently expanded their household with three sons.

• Thomas, the firstborn son of the family, was born in 1983.
• William, their second son, arrived in 1984.
• Henry, their youngest son, was born in 1987.

The decisions to name William and Henry matched the identical choices Charles and Diana made for the royal princes. The family had welcomed their firstborn son, Thomas, one year earlier in 1983.