Up close with Diana
I recall vividly my first meeting with Diana, Princess of Wales. I drove from London to HM The Queen’s Norfolk residence, Sandringham House. Having been transferred from ordinary police duties and now a Royal Protection Officer, the young Prince William, then aged five, was to be my first Royal charge.
On arrival, I was escorted by an attentive butler and introduced to Diana. William was sitting on a piano stool, thumping the piano keys, while Harry, then three, stood on a chair nearby, removing the stamens from a large vase of lilies. Diana spoke first, and with a large smile said, ‘I don’t envy you looking after my children, they can be a bloody nuisance,’ at which point William turned around and said, ‘No we’re not, are we Harry?’
‘No,’ said Harry, as he toppled from the chair, followed by the cascading vase of lilies.
Pursued by their mother, both boys ran from the room and escaped. Before I’d even spoken, I was stunned at witnessing a charming incident I never would have expected.
It is now almost exactly 16 years since her death, but Diana’s legacy is alive and well. She is to be played by Naomi Watts in a new biopic and the Royal Family has never been more popular – largely because they have learnt lessons from her approachable and effortlessly charismatic way with the public.
But then she always did have a remarkable way with people and, more importantly, her children. Some weeks after our first meeting, I was to take William to his pre-preparatory school in Notting Hill. ‘When we arrive at the school, William, there will be lots of photographers, so please smile, because you will have them for the rest of your life,’ Diana said, pulling his cap over his eyes. He turned to his mother and said, ‘I don’t like ’tographers’.
Six months later, I transferred from guarding William to working with Diana. This period of working with both of her children, witnessing her wonderful devotion and love, and desire to give them a ‘normal’ childhood within a Royal Palace, was quite extraordinary, and not what I imagined, or even thought possible. Diana insisted that they would not be imprisoned within the Royal nursery and so they were free to roam within the palace boundaries. Unless engaged abroad or on official duties, Diana would always accompany them to school, and encourage their friends to return after school for tea and games.
Naomi Watts as Princess Diana
The privileges of Royalty rarely fazed her. She would often shop in Marks & Spencer on Kensington High Street with William and Harry, and purchase food for tea, much to the annoyance of the Prince of Wales who couldn’t quite work out the logic, when a small brigade of chefs stood idly by in a fully functioning and well-stocked Royal kitchen.
The young boys’ appetite for burgers and chips also saw them make regular visits to Rolling Stones bass guitarist, Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers restaurant, near Kensington Palace. Diana was always in attendance. Rides in London taxis and bus trips along Piccadilly were all part of Diana’s education package.
The complications that surrounded her marriage surprisingly never affected the energetic, passionate way she raised her children. Yes, there were nannies, and willing members of staff to help, but her children were, in a sense, her sanity. Diana was very much a ‘hands on’ mother.
This energy was always present in the hundreds of public engagements she accepted. Knowing that members of the public would queue or wait for long periods to see her, Diana’s walkabouts were never quick, and timings were always being rescheduled. Her conversations were never stunted, and handshakes or ‘hugs’ were genuine. Traditional Royal one-liners such as ‘Have you been here long?’ were replaced with sincere questions, often interspersed with jokes, followed by her infectious laugh. That laugh always came from the heart, immediately putting to rest any anxieties people may have had.
I witnessed her global popularity and her desire to modernise the Royal Family, and break away from their inflexible Victorian/Edwardian attitudes. ‘This family has got to change, Ken, if it is to survive,’ was a phrase I heard many times. Back then, however, it was one that fell on deaf ears. But things have now changed – and if only Diana had witnessed HM The Queen’s cameo role with Daniel Craig during the Olympics last year, she would have seen clear evidence of this. That spectacular, almost Oscar-winning performance would, only a few years ago, have been unimaginable – and the public loved it.
Naveen Andrews and Naomi Watts in Diana
When William and Catherine announced their engagement and gave a television interview, they both spoke affectionately about Diana and brought to life once again the memory and affection the world had for her, a woman who some palace spin doctors had almost airbrushed out of the picture.
And her legacy is now tangible. The birth of Prince George, for example, was a very modern Royal event. A casually dressed Prince William, carrying his new-born son to the awaiting world’s media, and then engaging them all in a relaxed, charming and informative conversation, was an illustration of the very change Diana was talking about. It’s just a pity she is not here to witness it – and meet her little grandson.
Although the new Diana film focuses on her relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, post her divorce, the subject matter is irrelevant – Diana did change the face of the monarchy for the better, and, as such, there still exists a global appetite for anything associated with her name.
Diana will be released on 20 September.
Judging by the trailer, Diana will offer some moments of levity among the drama. While friend Jemima Khan has said that Diana was ‘madly in love’ with Hasnat Khan, the surgeon was publicity shy, suggesting they would have to move to Pakistan to escape the press, and the relationship ended.
It’s unlikely the film will end on a happy note.
On arrival, I was escorted by an attentive butler and introduced to Diana. William was sitting on a piano stool, thumping the piano keys, while Harry, then three, stood on a chair nearby, removing the stamens from a large vase of lilies. Diana spoke first, and with a large smile said, ‘I don’t envy you looking after my children, they can be a bloody nuisance,’ at which point William turned around and said, ‘No we’re not, are we Harry?’
‘No,’ said Harry, as he toppled from the chair, followed by the cascading vase of lilies.
Pursued by their mother, both boys ran from the room and escaped. Before I’d even spoken, I was stunned at witnessing a charming incident I never would have expected.
It is now almost exactly 16 years since her death, but Diana’s legacy is alive and well. She is to be played by Naomi Watts in a new biopic and the Royal Family has never been more popular – largely because they have learnt lessons from her approachable and effortlessly charismatic way with the public.
But then she always did have a remarkable way with people and, more importantly, her children. Some weeks after our first meeting, I was to take William to his pre-preparatory school in Notting Hill. ‘When we arrive at the school, William, there will be lots of photographers, so please smile, because you will have them for the rest of your life,’ Diana said, pulling his cap over his eyes. He turned to his mother and said, ‘I don’t like ’tographers’.
Six months later, I transferred from guarding William to working with Diana. This period of working with both of her children, witnessing her wonderful devotion and love, and desire to give them a ‘normal’ childhood within a Royal Palace, was quite extraordinary, and not what I imagined, or even thought possible. Diana insisted that they would not be imprisoned within the Royal nursery and so they were free to roam within the palace boundaries. Unless engaged abroad or on official duties, Diana would always accompany them to school, and encourage their friends to return after school for tea and games.
Naomi Watts as Princess DianaThe privileges of Royalty rarely fazed her. She would often shop in Marks & Spencer on Kensington High Street with William and Harry, and purchase food for tea, much to the annoyance of the Prince of Wales who couldn’t quite work out the logic, when a small brigade of chefs stood idly by in a fully functioning and well-stocked Royal kitchen.
The young boys’ appetite for burgers and chips also saw them make regular visits to Rolling Stones bass guitarist, Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers restaurant, near Kensington Palace. Diana was always in attendance. Rides in London taxis and bus trips along Piccadilly were all part of Diana’s education package.
The complications that surrounded her marriage surprisingly never affected the energetic, passionate way she raised her children. Yes, there were nannies, and willing members of staff to help, but her children were, in a sense, her sanity. Diana was very much a ‘hands on’ mother.
This energy was always present in the hundreds of public engagements she accepted. Knowing that members of the public would queue or wait for long periods to see her, Diana’s walkabouts were never quick, and timings were always being rescheduled. Her conversations were never stunted, and handshakes or ‘hugs’ were genuine. Traditional Royal one-liners such as ‘Have you been here long?’ were replaced with sincere questions, often interspersed with jokes, followed by her infectious laugh. That laugh always came from the heart, immediately putting to rest any anxieties people may have had.
I witnessed her global popularity and her desire to modernise the Royal Family, and break away from their inflexible Victorian/Edwardian attitudes. ‘This family has got to change, Ken, if it is to survive,’ was a phrase I heard many times. Back then, however, it was one that fell on deaf ears. But things have now changed – and if only Diana had witnessed HM The Queen’s cameo role with Daniel Craig during the Olympics last year, she would have seen clear evidence of this. That spectacular, almost Oscar-winning performance would, only a few years ago, have been unimaginable – and the public loved it.
Naveen Andrews and Naomi Watts in DianaWhen William and Catherine announced their engagement and gave a television interview, they both spoke affectionately about Diana and brought to life once again the memory and affection the world had for her, a woman who some palace spin doctors had almost airbrushed out of the picture.
And her legacy is now tangible. The birth of Prince George, for example, was a very modern Royal event. A casually dressed Prince William, carrying his new-born son to the awaiting world’s media, and then engaging them all in a relaxed, charming and informative conversation, was an illustration of the very change Diana was talking about. It’s just a pity she is not here to witness it – and meet her little grandson.
Although the new Diana film focuses on her relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, post her divorce, the subject matter is irrelevant – Diana did change the face of the monarchy for the better, and, as such, there still exists a global appetite for anything associated with her name.
Diana will be released on 20 September.
The royal treatment
The first full trailer of the film Diana was released last week, with Naomi Watts in the starring role – and bearing an uncanny resemblance to the princess. The film focuses on the last two years of her life, specifically her romance with surgeon Hasnat Khan (played by Naveen Andrews), who she dated from 1995 to 1997. The film is directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, whose brilliant 2004 picture Downfall charted the last days of Adolf Hitler.Judging by the trailer, Diana will offer some moments of levity among the drama. While friend Jemima Khan has said that Diana was ‘madly in love’ with Hasnat Khan, the surgeon was publicity shy, suggesting they would have to move to Pakistan to escape the press, and the relationship ended.
It’s unlikely the film will end on a happy note.