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    How Diana Navigated Being a "Newly Divorced Princess" With "Smitten, Downright Persistent, and Unhappily Married" Men Pursuing Her, Per Royal Butler

    "They kept knocking on the door, undeterred by polite refusals or constant excuses."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 25 July 2026 In News

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    Princess Diana wears a shimmering blue mini dress and carries a matching blue silk clutch bag
    (Image credit: Ken Goff/Getty Images/Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
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    Princess Diana's split from King Charles was front page news. As a result, literally everyone knew Diana was single, which apparently led to a lot of people attempting to date the princess. Unfortunately, she wasn't interested in any of them.

    In his book A Royal Duty, former Royal Family butler Paul Burrell revealed what Princess Diana experienced once her divorce from King Charles was finalized.

    "The problem with being a newly divorced princess and the most beautiful woman in the world is that men across the globe are aware that you are single again," Burrell explained.

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    Unsurprisingly, Princess Diana found herself with a plethora of romantic suitors.

    Burrell continued, "By the end of the summer of 1996 many high-profile or wealthy men began to make their intentions known to the princess....They kept knocking on the door, undeterred by polite refusals or constant excuses."

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    According to the former butler, he witnessed "the flattery and thrill of the chase, knowing that she was unattainable," but ultimately knew she wasn't interested in any of them.

    A Royal Duty

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    Princess Diana wearing a black dress sitting at a dinner table

    Princess Diana found herself with a plethora of romantic suitors after her divorce.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Per Butler, "My duty now involved fielding calls from the smitten, the downright persistent, and the unhappily married. It was my job to know whom she wanted to speak to and whom she didn't, who had to be let down gently, who had to be told 'No!'"

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    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Despite not wanting to pursue anything romantic with the men propositioning her post-divorce, Diana was reportedly "flattered." Notably, according to Burrell, "she already had feelings for someone." He continued, "Not that her suitors were aware of that because her recent happiness was a secret."

    underrated 90s diana

    "She already had feelings for someone."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Following her divorce, Princess Diana was allegedly the most eligible woman in the world. But according to her former butler, she simply wasn't interested in dating the majority of men who pursued her.

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    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

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