'You’ve let the cat out of the bag' Princess Diana's panic after kiss-and-tell book
PRINCESS Diana collaborated with the author of an explosive book on the disintegration of her marriage to Prince Charles, it has been claimed.
Former royal press chief Dickie Arbiter said that although the Princess denied it, he believed that she helped Andrew Morton write the book.
He said that in the morning that a serialisation of the book appeared in the press, he received a phone call from Diana in which he heard "an edge of panic in her voice".
Writing in the Daily Mail, he said that she asked him "What do I do Dickie?", to which he responded: "There's nothing you can do, Ma’am.
"You’ve let the cat out of the bag. It’s done."
PRINCESS DIANA IN PICTURES
He said that he then advised her to pour herself a large scotch "and get drunk", before she replied: "I might just do that".
Mr Arbiter, who worked for the couple for 12 years, also described how tensions between Charles and Diana became obvious as their marriage crumbled.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one watching the relationship unravel who wished that it could just be done with
Shortly before the release of the book, he said that the couple carried out an official trip to Seville where "it was painfully obvious that they didn't want to be in each other's company".
He added: "It was painful to witness, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one watching the relationship unravel who wished that it could just be done with."
Mr Arbiter also said that he knew the marriage was over when the couple arrived for a trip to South Korea in 1992, a month before their separation was announced.
He said: "The Prince and the Princess were the epitome of Mr and Mrs Glum — her expression pinched and pale, his rigid and morose.
"Their body language was so hostile it was as if they could have killed each other with a single glance."
Mr Arbiter said that, partly due to the content of Mr Morton's book, Charles was seen by the public as the villain, while Diana was "generally viewed as the victim".