The princess’ relationship with Hasnat Khan was the most closely guarded secret of her life. As her butler, I became their go-between and was privy to almost everything that went on.
So, when I watched the movie “Diana,” all that kept going through my head was: “Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.”
While some of it is accurate, it’s mostly Hollywood fantasy. But they got one thing right — the princess adored Hasnat and truly wanted a future with him. It’s one of the greatest love stories never told because there is no actual record — no video footage, no pictures, no newspaper copy — of them together.
Her short-lived, 30-day romance with Dodi Fayed was, sadly, more real to people because it was played out in front of the cameras.
During the two years that the princess was with Hasnat, they could never be seen in public together. We’d have a pre-arranged meeting place in the mews behind his hospital, and I’d literally bundle him into the trunk of my car and smuggle him through the security checkpoint in and out of Kensington Palace.
It was fun and exciting, but Hasnat had a deep spirituality that attracted the princess to him. She was searching for someone who would put his arms around her and tell her she was beautiful and say, “I love you.”
In Hasnat, she found honesty, goodness, sincerity and no Machiavellian ways. He didn’t want anything else from her other than love.
He was able to give her the simplest thing she wanted, but, of course, it was more complicated than that.