Charles and Diana Officially Divorced

The divorce decree took five minutes, cost $31 and was finalized in a basement office. It was a far cry from the lavish 1981 wedding of the heir to the British throne and his shy bride that captivated millions around the world. Princess Diana is no longer Her Royal Highness, but she instantly became one of the world’s most eligible women. Prince Charles has his freedom, but Britain’s tabloids have given a thumbs down to his sometime lover Camilla Parker-Bowles as a future queen. The 15-year marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales ended at 10:27 a.m., when a legal clerk issued a decree that their divorce was now “absolute.” The divorce does not affect Charles’ succession to the throne.