Princess Diana continue to fascinate royal watchers. A new wave of interest has revived questions about what Diana really thought when her relationship with Dodi Fayed began — and what she may have told those closest to her.
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Wharfe, who protected Diana and her sons for years, has previously spoken publicly about the princess’s private life and her concerns about security. During the 2008 inquest into Diana’s death, he also gave evidence about her belief that members of the Royal Family were being monitored.
However, claims that Wharfe has now revealed a previously unknown conversation from the exact night Diana first met Dodi should be treated carefully. Contemporary accounts indicate that Diana and Dodi’s relationship developed during the summer of 1997 after meeting through Mohamed Al Fayed’s invitation to St Tropez. Their relationship quickly attracted enormous media attention.
Diana’s feelings toward Dodi remain a subject of debate. Letters she wrote to him were later presented at the inquest, suggesting that she had developed genuine affection for him. At the same time, her friend Rosa Monckton testified that Diana was still emotionally affected by her previous relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.
Other testimony suggested Diana’s relationship with Dodi became increasingly complicated near the end of her life. Her former butler Paul Burrell recalled Diana telling him she felt “claustrophobic” during the final yacht trip.