Why Princess Diana Regretted Mentioning One Former Lover in Her BBC 'Panorama' Interview, According to Royal Expert
"She had said, if you remember, that she was in love with him."
Princess Diana's Panorama interview became instantly famous as the royal opened up about everything from her marriage to King Charles to their alleged affairs. While discussing how Princess Diana might have reacted to Prince Harry's BBC interview, royal expert and author Ingrid Seward also dished on the one aspect of the Panorama interview Princess Diana regretted.
During an appearance on Hello!'s "A Right Royal Podcast," Seward discussed Diana's initial thoughts after filming the 1995 interview with Panorama. "I saw her quite shortly after that, so obviously I asked her, and she said, 'No, I don't regret any of it,'" Seward claimed.
The royal expert continued, "She said, 'I got thousands of letters about other people who suffered from anorexia and bulimia.'" However, there was one thing the former Princess of Wales allegedly wished she hadn't discussed.
According to Seward, Diana told her, "The only thing I felt a bit bad about was talking about James Hewitt." The royal expert continued, "She had said, if you remember, that she was in love with him, or had been in love with him, and she felt bad for William and Harry saying that."
Hewitt was Princess Diana's horseback riding instructor, and the pair reportedly had an affair between 1986 and 1991. Aside from discussing her relationship with Hewitt, Diana allegedly "thought [Panorama] was a successful interview."
King Charles and James Hewitt playing polo.
Seward also discussed how she believes Princess Diana would have reacted to Prince Harry giving such a candid interview to the BBC. "I think she might have been proud," Seward said during her appearance on the show.
Seward continued, "I think she would, I'm guessing, that she might have been quite proud of him for speaking up and saying what he thought, because that's what she liked. She liked to say exactly what she thought and then deal with the consequences afterwards, which is, of course, what happened to her."
