Royals in Uproar Over Diana Book
L O N D O N, Sept. 15, 2000 -- Cries of “betrayal” are ringing out from Buckingham Palace. A new tell-all book about Princess Diana is about to hit the market — this one coming from deep inside the inner sanctuary of Britain’s royal households.
The House of Windsor is scrambling its damage-control teams on the very day Diana’s younger son, Prince Harry, celebrates his 16th birthday and Mohamed Al Fayed, father of the princess’ companion Dodi Fayed, returns to French courts seeking further legal action.
Breaking the Code of Silence
The former private secretary to the Princess of Wales, Patrick Jephson, has written a potentially explosive book about life with Diana, who was killed Aug. 31, 1997, in a Paris car crash, along with Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul.
Once Diana’s most trusted aide, Jephson was at her side during eight turbulent years — from 1987 to 1996.
He witnessed the worst of times during her troubled marriage, separation and divorce, and once described life at Kensington Palace, Diana’s home, as “like a slowly spreading pool of blood seeping out from under a locked door.”
Although Jephson, 44, says his book is “a truthful and balanced account” intended toprotect Diana’s memory, the British press has labeled him a cad who, in an “unprecedented act of treachery,” is about to betray the princess’ most intimate secrets.
A Royal Pain on Harry’s Birthday
Palace courtiers and royal lawyers have been huddled in consultations.
The royal family condemned the new book, but solicitors reportedly advise there is little or nothing they can do to stop its publication.
“The Queen and The Prince of Wales deeply deplore Mr. Jephson’s decision to proceed with the publication of his book. Whatever its possible content, the book is likely to arouse fresh speculation about the life of The Princess which can only be upsetting to the feelings of Prince William and Prince Harry, and to the Princess’s family,” the palace said today in a written statement.
Jephson, a former British naval officer and royal equerry, signed a confidentiality agreement as a member of the royal staff. However, he successfully argued the agreement ended with Diana’s death.
News that the ex-private secretary plans to publish the book in the United States in October and that it would be serialized in a British newspaper came as Prince Harry — the younger of Diana and Prince Charles’ two sons — celebrated his 16th birthday.
Both Harry and his brother, 18-year-old Prince William, reportedly have been upset by public revelations surrounding their mother’s life.
Prince Harry is said to be celebrating his birthday studying for exams at Eton College. He is in his third year at the exclusive boarding school, which his older brother, Prince William, also attended before graduating last spring.
St. James’s Palace said the younger prince planned a day out on Sunday, but refused to release any other details about the birthday celebrations.
Harry, who was only 12 when his mother was killed, is protected from media intrusion by newspaper guidelines governing the coverage of minors.
In a statement to the British Press Association, Jephson said, “During her [Princess Diana’s] lifetime I was discreet and utterly loyal. Since her death I have been dismayed by the indiscriminate comment she has received, much of it inaccurate, some of it apparently intended to diminish her memory.”
An Appeal in Paris
In Paris, Mohamed Al Fayed, Dodi’s father, is back in court appealing a decision to drop charges against the paparazzi arrested following the high-speed crash that killed Dodi and Princess Diana.
Last year, French magistrates pinned the blame for accident on driver Paul, saying he was drunk and under the influence of anti-depressants. They absolved nine photographers and one photo agency motorcyclist of contributing to the deaths by chasing the car and failing to help the victims.
But lawyers acting for Al Fayed, the millionaire owner of London’s luxury department store Harrods, insist Paul had been forced to speed through the streets of Paris by the pursuing pack of photographers, and that they should therefore shoulder some ofthe blame.
Al Fayed is also in the process of suing U.S. authorities for the release of documents he says may prove that his son and Diana were murdered.
Reiterating his conspiracy theory that “evil and racist forces” working through Britain’s security service killed the couple, Fayed said last month he hoped the documents from the CIA and other organizations would finally uncover the truth.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.