Revealing, never-before-aired videotapes of Princess Diana were shown Monday night on American television. The programme was based on 21 hours of recordings made in the early Nineties by the late royal's voice coach, Peter Settelen.
The interviews reveal Diana sitting in the living room of Kensington Palace discussing a wide array of subjects with great frankness. These range from her unhappy childhood, to her courtship with Prince Charles through the disappointment she felt about the breakdown of her marriage.
She described herself as being "flattered but surprised" by one of Charles' early approaches, adding that he later followed her around "like a puppy".
She goes on to speak of her wedding day, her pain over Prince Charles' liaison with Camilla Parker Bowles, and her struggles with low self-esteem and bulimia.
"I remember saying to my husband, you know, 'Why, why is this lady around?'. And he said: 'Well, I refuse to be the only Prince of Wales who never had a mistress'."
Elsewhere on the tape Diana also refers to Barry Mannakee, a police protection officer with whom she was reported to have had a relationship. "It was all found out, and he was chucked out. And then he was killed," she says. "And I think he was bumped off."
Mannakee died in a motorcycle accident in 1987 while riding pillion to another policeman, after being transferred from his post as Diana's guard.
Voice coach Peter Settelen won a court judgment earlier this year to regain possession of the material. The tapes were confiscated by police during a raid on the home of Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell. Settelen, who says at least another 12 exist, sold the ones which had been returned to him to NBC, which is broadcasting them in two one-hour instalments.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
