King Charles felt ‘unbearable emptiness’ after Princess Diana’s death

King Charles was “shattered” when he learned that his ex-wife, Princess Diana, had died in a car accident.

The glamorous Princess of Wales passed away on Aug. 31, 1997. At the time, the 36-year-old was being chased by paparazzi in Paris. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and their chauffeur, Henri Paul, also perished in the crash.

“When he was first told over the phone that Diana had died, Charles, according to an eyewitness, “howled like a wounded animal,’’ Christopher Andersen, author of “The Day Diana Died,” told Fox News Digital.

Later, after he rushed from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to Paris to bring her back to England, Charles nearly passed out when he first viewed her body,” he shared. “A nurse who was standing in the room told me he reeled back and looked as if he had been ‘struck by an unseen force.’ Considering how epic their marital battles had been, people were surprised at Charles’ reaction. He was devastated by Diana’s death, perhaps to a degree that surprised even him.”

“Charles was shattered,” Andersen added.

Andersen’s statements came shortly after a letter written by the former Prince Charles to his friend was sold at auction for $2,000. In it, Charles detailed the “unbearable emptiness” he felt four months after Diana’s death, the U.K.’s

Andersen noted that in Diana’s final months, the exes finally put aside their differences for the sake of their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

“In the months before Diana’s death, she and Charles decided to put their bitterness behind them and become, in her words, ‘very best friends,’” Andersen explained. “A close confidant of Diana’s told me that ‘her love for Charles never really died.’ Diana even grudgingly admitted that the love and devotion Charles and [his mistress] Camilla had was something to be admired.”

Charles and Diana wrote, surprisingly, affectionate notes to each other,” said Andersen. “On the eve of Diana’s death, Charles dashed one off to her that began ‘My dearest Diana’ and ended with ‘Lots of love, Charles.’”