How Princess Diana Caused One "Oscar-Winning Hollywood Actor"—Who Had Nothing But "Honorable Intentions"—to Lose His Confidence, Per Royal Butler

"He got a friend to write a letter on his behalf."

Princess Diana wearing a red off the shoulder dress and with blonde bouffant hair at a state reception in Melbourne, October 1988
(Image credit: Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)

Once her divorce was finalized, Princess Diana became one of the most eligible people in the world. According to the princess's former royal butler, the royal was romantically pursued by an award-winning Hollywood actor, who lost some confidence after being turned down by Diana.

In his book A Royal Duty, former royal butler Paul Burrell recalled, "One Oscar-winning Hollywood actor's confident image suddenly disappeared when it proved he was too shy to ring the palace himself and ask the princess for a date: he got a friend to write a letter on his behalf."

Unfortunately for the unnamed actor, Princess Diana wasn't interested in dating him.

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"When the princess wrote back, politely refusing, he returned with another request a month later," Burrell shared. "She had a drink with him and chose never to meet him again."

Of course, this particular actor wasn't alone in propositioning Princess Diana following her divorce, according to the former butler. "He wasn't the only one with honorable intentions," Burrell said.

Princess Diana wearing a pearl choker

"He wasn't the only one with honorable intentions," Burrell said.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Burrell recounted just some of the other men who attempted to date Diana after her split from King Charles.

"There was a sporting legend, who made a living out of racing in a field of competitors; a leading musician; a novelist; a lawyer; an entrepreneur; a billionaire who ran his own empire, and one extremely famous politician," the former butler noted.

He continued, "The unfortunate thing was that while they might have provided the princess with enthralling company, her heart lay elsewhere."

Princess Diana wearing a purple dress and holding flowers

"She had a drink with him and chose never to meet him again."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ultimately, Princess Diana reportedly turned down the majority of men who tried to date her, but that didn't stop the invitations from arriving.

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Amy Mackelden
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.