Davina Morley, the society beauty who was once regarded as a serious potential bride for the future King Charles, has died aged 75 following a short illness.
Morley died on September 2 with her three sons, Tom, Billy and Henry, at her bedside, her family confirmed on Friday.
A celebration of her life is now being arranged for November.
For a time in the 1970s, however, Morley was at the centre of royal speculation after developing a serious relationship with the then-Prince of Wales.
Royal observers described the couple as deeply in love, with one royal author later calling her a “great match” for the heir to the throne.
Charles Was Reportedly ‘Very Much In Love’
Born Davina Sheffield, Morley came from an aristocratic and influential family.
She was the granddaughter of Lord McGowan, the Scottish industrialist who led Imperial Chemical Industries for two decades, and was a cousin of Samantha Cameron, wife of former Prime Minister David Cameron.
Her family lineage was also traced back to King Charles II.
Her romance with Charles began in 1976, when the young Prince was reportedly deeply taken with the tall blonde.
The pair soon became a familiar sight at society events and were photographed together on a number of occasions.
They were even seen travelling around in Charles’s open-top Aston Martin DB5 Volante, while Morley accompanied him to a wedding and was photographed sitting beside Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at an equestrian event.
The relationship was evidently serious enough for Charles to invite her to Balmoral.
There, she reportedly made a strong impression on his grandmother, the Queen Mother.
A friend told the Daily Mail at the time: “She and Charles were wonderful together.”
Royal author Michael Rhodes later described Morley as “a great match” for the future King.
Then Her Past Romance Came Back
The relationship was ultimately brought to an abrupt end after James Beard, a former boyfriend and powerboat racer, went to the press with details of their previous relationship.
According to accounts of the period, Beard revealed that he and Morley had previously shared a “love nest”.
The disclosure proved devastating to the courtship.
Royal convention at the time placed enormous importance on the prospective bride of the heir to the throne having what was regarded as an “unblemished” past.
It was the same rigid royal expectation that had complicated Charles’s own relationship with Camilla Shand, who married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973.
In her 2005 book The Firm, royal author Penny Junor wrote that Morley had initially turned down a dinner invitation from Charles because of her relationship with Beard.
But, according to Junor, Charles was persistent, eventually winning her over while her previous relationship faded into the background.
The revelations would ultimately help bring the royal romance to an end.
Charles Was Reportedly Devastated
The end of the relationship was said to have been particularly painful for Charles, especially because Morley had apparently already received approval from members of his family.
The romance ended, and both eventually moved on to different lives.
Morley found lasting happiness with Jake Morley, whom she married in 1981 — the same year Charles married Lady Diana Spencer.
The couple went on to have three sons: Thomas, born in 1983, William in 1984 and Henry in 1987.
She also became stepmother to Dominic and Sebastian, Jake’s sons from his first marriage.
Jake died in April 2022, aged 80.
A Life Far Beyond Royal Romance
Although Morley’s connection to Charles remained one of the most intriguing chapters of her life, it was far from the whole story.
She was also known for her charitable work and travelled to Vietnam to volunteer at an orphanage as the war there drew to a close.
In later life, she cherished her home in Gloucestershire, close to the Cotswolds and roughly 15 miles from the King’s Highgrove estate.
Her death brings an end to the life of a woman who, for a brief but extraordinary period, appeared to have a place in the future King’s heart — and whose story offers a striking reminder of just how different royal expectations were when Charles was a young heir.
Had circumstances been different, Davina Morley might have occupied a very different place in British royal history.
Instead, she built a family and a life away from the Crown, leaving behind a remarkable chapter that began with a prince, came close to the throne and ended in a romance the royal establishment ultimately could not accept.