Between family intrigue and lavish public affairs, Princess Diana rarely experienced a dull moment.
But when it came to her passionate affair with riding instructor James Hewitt,
she just couldn’t rein it in. Keep watching to discover all the details.
Princess Diana led a very public life as soon as she got engaged to Prince Charles. In fact, Diana,
dubbed the "people's princess,” was unmatched in celebrity in the years following her superstar
wedding. To say that people were obsessed with her would be a massive understatement,
but that doesn't mean she didn't have some secrets. For instance,
when she first met Major James Hewitt, who would later become her lover, she was still taken.
Princess Diana married Prince Charles at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981,
and their wedding was a monumental event. But marriage to one of the most powerful men in the
world didn't stop Diana from falling for Hewitt. The pair met five years after the wedding in 1986,
and since Diana was a huge public figure, Hewitt obviously knew that she was married
when they met. Of course, when it comes to affairs of the heart, nothing is off limits.
Despite the fact that Princess Diana was obviously married to Prince Charles when she first met
Major James Hewitt at a party in 1986, the two reportedly had an instant connection. While they
didn't immediately begin the affair, they both felt destined to care for one other from the
start, as their feelings developed on a far deeper level than just physical attraction.
Diana's royal protection officer, Ken Wharfe, wrote about the first meeting in his book,
Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, and it sounds pretty intense.
"Their first conversation felt natural, she said, and it was this that sparked her attraction.
As she put it, they got along famously."
In fact, after they first met,
Diana and Hewitt immediately arranged to meet again — they couldn’t get enough of each other.
Now, it's no secret that Diana's marriage to Charles wasn't exactly sunshine and roses,
but, still, her decision to get involved with another partner was, no doubt, a significant one.
He Was the Stable Boy
The early conversation between Princess Diana and Major James
Hewitt wasn't as scintillating as one might expect. Instead,
it was about ... horses? As Ken Wharfe describes in his book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret,
"He told her he was a riding instructor
and, when she confessed she was afraid of horses, offered to help her overcome her fear.”
Diana spent more time with Hewitt as he taught her how to ride,
and the affair took off from there. Hewitt was reportedly very charming, and, honestly,
who wouldn't fall for their stunning horse-riding teacher?
However, while Diana and Hewitt's relationship may have been the stuff of housewife fantasies,
it wasn’t all physical. Describing the nature of their affair in his book Diana:
Her True Story — In Her Own Words, royal biographer Andrew Morton writes that Hewitt:
“[...] provided Diana with amusing and sympathetic companionship
at a time when she needed a shoulder to lean on because of her husband's neglect.”
Naturally, a relationship blossomed.
Though Princess Diana and Major James Hewitt started spending time together when he gave
her riding lessons, Hewitt wasn't the one who initiated their physical relationship.
As it turns out, Diana made the first move — and made her feelings towards Hewitt crystal clear.
In her book, The Diana Chronicles,
Tina Brown details exactly how Hewitt’s friendship with Diana turned into a romance.
"She made the first overture by reaching to kiss him when they were alone in the Officers' Mess,
telling him, 'I need you. You give me strength. I can't stand it when
I'm not with you.’ From beginning to end, it was Diana who ran this affair."
Though the two shared a spark from the get-go, it was definitely Diana
who decided to take things to the next level, and from there, the affair quickly heated up.
Though Netflix's The Crown touches on Princess Diana's affair with Major James Hewitt,
you may be surprised to learn that it wasn't the only relationship the British royal had.
Diana reportedly engaged in two more love affairs while married to Charles.
“But Diana. Aunt Margo tells me at Kensington Palace it’s like a revolving door.”
Between 1984 and 1986, Diana allegedly had a torrid affair with one of her bodyguards,
Barry Mannakee, who was described by Tina Brown as being, quote, "handsome in a blokey way."
Toward the end of the 1980s, Diana also engaged in
an alleged affair with her former childhood friend, James Gilbey.
Obviously, only Diana and those involved could speak to the truth of those romances,
but as Princess Diana and Prince Charles had a rocky relationship from the start,
it would be far from shocking to imagine that Diana had multiple relationships.
As shocking as it might seem to non-royals,
affairs were not uncommon in the British royal family,
at least in Prince Charles’s day. Not only were people in close social circles aware that Princess
Diana and Major James Hewitt were together, but Diana's own husband knew all about it, too.
“I know about the stable boy. Hewitt is his name, correct?”
Author Anna Pasternak alleged in an essay for the Daily Mail
that Prince Charles was hardly fazed at all.
"It surprised me that Hewitt was a fan of Prince Charles's, with whom he played polo.
As is de rigueur in aristocratic circles, Charles knew of and welcomed their affair
as it distracted Diana, taking pressure off him and Camilla."
Yup, while Diana was in a relationship with Hewitt, Charles was also in a relationship
with Camilla Parker Bowles, whom he ended up marrying after Diana's death.
Perhaps because he was so consumed by his own affair,
it’s clear that Charles was far more inclined to let Diana have her new fairytale.
The relationship between Diana and Hewitt became slightly complicated when he was sent abroad for
work, as he was given command of a tank squadron in the late '80s. Obviously, Princess Diana
was heartbroken that Hewitt left town, but the two actually stayed in touch via love letters.
Indeed, Diana and Hewitt shared some steamy love notes. For the most part,
Diana's letters to Hewitt were sweet and a little sultry.
"There's a surprise coming out to you, hopefully a nice one, something I hope you'll like.
If not, I want it back, there is nothing like whetting your appetite."
But there seems to be evidence that Diana sent Hewitt some naughty mail, too.
"Another parcel sent away this morning, filthy card included.”
Clearly, the pair shared some intimate moments and kept it going via letter-writing,
proving their ongoing dedication to one another.
Despite the speculation and rumor that circulated regarding Princess Diana's
relationship with Major James Hewitt, the pair shared more than just a steamy rendezvous.
Diana and Hewitt were reportedly truly in love for a time,
and though it didn't last long, it’s safe to say it was pretty intense while it was going on.
In an exclusive 2017 interview with Sunday Night,
Hewitt talked about the affair and his leftover feelings for the most celebrated royal in history.
When asked to describe what it was like to fall in love with Diana, he said:
“It's a, uh, gradual period and then, you know,
suddenly you can't get, you know, enough of each other.”
Hewitt also revealed how the two would spend their time together,
and it sounded remarkably simple, comfortable, and lovely.
"Well, I'd cook and she'd wash up. Just dinner and relaxing and laughing.”
While things between Diana and Hewitt would soon become complicated,
there's no denying that at one point the two were majorly head over heels for each other.
While Princess Diana's affair with Major James Hewitt wasn't exactly shocking news for those
in the royal family, the pair still had to be quiet about their romance. After all, it wouldn't
look good for the royal family to be blatantly flaunting all of their affairs to the public. So,
Diana and Hewitt had to figure out how to be with each other without getting caught by the media.
Officer Ken Wharfe writes in his book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret,
"The pair usually met at an old cottage in Devon belonging to Shirley, Hewitt's mother,
where the creaking bedroom floorboards told the story more loudly than any confession."
Honestly, sneaking off to a cottage to be with a lover sounds pretty idyllic and romantic,
despite their increasingly complex circumstances.
Ultimately, Diana and Hewitt made the best of their situation
and discovered new ways to be together, even though the British public was constantly watching.
Though it might seem easy to write off Princess Diana's affair with Major James
Hewitt as nothing more than a tryst, that is not exactly the case. The two were so
close that Hewitt even got to know Diana's children, Prince William and Prince Harry.
According to Anna Pasternak, Hewitt had become an important figure
not just in Diana's life, but in the life of her children. She says:
"He became such a familiar private guest that William and Harry developed a fondness for him.”
Andrew Morton elaborates in his book, Diana: Her True Story — In Her Own Words:
"Diana’s friendship with Captain James Hewitt […] blossomed precisely because
he was a popular 'uncle' figure to her boys.”
Morton goes on to explain that Hewitt even helped William fine-tune his horse-riding skills.
Clearly, their affair was more than just a fling,
as Diana's own children looked to Hewitt as a role model.
In addition to sneaking off to a remote cottage to be together, Princess Diana and Major James Hewitt
also found ways to meet in the palace — and they could have faced real consequences if discovered.
After all, if Hewitt were to stride into the palace demanding to get into Diana's bedroom,
eyebrows would certainly raise. But, of course, they took all necessary precautions.
Author Anna Pasternak, who previously worked with Hewitt on a book,
explained exactly what went down in the Daily Mail:
"Hewitt was regularly bundled into car boots and driven to Kensington Palace when their affair
ensued. He told me he was terrified the first night he stayed in Kensington Palace,
relieved at least that Charles and Diana had separate bedrooms."
Clearly, Diana and James Hewitt had an ardent and heartfelt love affair.
And while the two probably both knew that it couldn't last forever,
perhaps neither of them could have predicted how it would end. As it turns out, their relationship
didn't end because Prince Charles was upset, or even because of any tips to the media.
They ended their affair because Hewitt essentially abandoned Diana for his job. Hewitt was given an
important military post, a promotion which required him to travel away from England.
In his book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, Diana’s bodyguard Ken Wharfe
explains how this change became the final straw for the princess.
"Diana felt betrayed: he had chosen his career over her.
At first, she did everything she could to prevent him from going, even threatening to speak to
his commanding officer. When James refused to give up his career, Diana let the affair wane."
It couldn't have been easy for Diana to end things with Hewitt.
But because her marriage was crumbling, she likely needed someone that could be right there for her,
and at this point it was clear that Hewitt was no longer that person.
Princess Diana and Major James Hewitt's relationship was certainly well-known
throughout royal circles, and just about everyone knew that Prince Charles had betrayed his
promise of loyalty to Princess Diana. However, Hewitt betrayed Diana in an entirely new way
when he collaborated with author Anna Pasternak on the book,
Princess In Love, laying out the details of their affair two years after their breakup.
It was that book that hurt Diana the most. In 1995, about a year before Princess Diana
and Prince Charles got divorced, Diana gave her famous interview with BBC's Panorama.
When asked whether she also broke her marriage vows, with Hewitt, she responded:
“Yes, I adored him. Yes, I was in love with him. But I was very let down.”
Clearly, Diana still had fond feelings toward Hewitt, but because of his ultimate betrayal
of her with a cash-grab tell-all, those feelings soon became part of the past.
Because one of Major James Hewitt's defining traits is his flaming red hair,
many tabloids were quick to assert that he was actually Prince Harry's father. Obviously, Harry
also has red hair, but such a trivial physical attribute does not a biological father make.
Not only has Hewitt himself denied those rumors, but they're just not possible.
In Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, Ken Wharfe writes:
"A simple comparison of dates proves it is impossible for Hewitt to be Harry's father."
He goes on to reveal that Princess Diana herself
knew of the painful false narrative while it was being spread, confessing:
"Only once did I ever discuss it with her, and Diana was in tears about it.”
In a 2017 interview with Sunday Night, Hewitt once again plainly denied the allegations that
he was secretly Harry's father, and expressed his remorse at the exploitative rumors’ circulation
“That’s heartbreaking, for you, for him”
"It's worse for him, probably. Poor chap."
So, there you have it. Diana and Hewitt might have had an intense love affair,
but there was no love child.
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