Princess Diana and Prince Charles‘ tumultuous marriage was tabloid fodder for years, and their eventual split made just as many headlines. While Diana was outspoken about her unhappiness in the marriage, a close friend is now revealing that the princess did not want to divorce Charles.
Spiritual Healer Simone Simmons Claims She And Diana ‘Were Best Friends’
Diana and spiritual healer Simone Simmons met in 1993 at the Hale Clinic, an alternative health center. Their friendship soon became rather strong, and the princess would often talk with Simmons on the phone for hours.
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“We were best friends,” Simmons told The Telegraph. “Yes, I’m a very odd person for some people to think of as Diana’s best friend. But at least I’m honest, I’m sincere, and I would never put her wrong. I was very privileged to have such an amazing best friend.”
Simmons’ Thoughts On Diana’s Controversial ‘Panorama’ Interview
Simmons shared details from one of the biggest press moments of the world-famous princess’ life: her controversial Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. “I got a phone call,” Simmons started. “‘Simone, are you busy?’ I said, ‘Well I’m sleeping’. She said, ‘Oh good, you’re not busy.’’
“She said: ‘Did you watch television last night?’” she continued. “I said, ‘Yes.’ ‘What did you think?’ I said: ‘Oh God, you made a real prat out of yourself. But not only that. What about the children?’ She said: ‘Oh my God, I didn’t think,’ and then she started crying and said: ‘Will you come over?’”
The BBC has recently apologized for Bashir’s interview as new details about their conversation came to light. An investigation into Bashir’s tactics to obtain the interview with the princess included forging documents that made it look like Diana’s friends had been paid to spy on her. By increasing her paranoia in this way, Bashir convinced Diana that she needed to set the record straight and do the Panorama interview.
Diana: ‘I Never Wanted To Divorce Charles. I Always Loved Him’
“I was the one warning her against him,” Simmons explained. “Diana was very naive. She had never known anyone like that.” The Panorama interview was the final straw for Diana and Charles’ marriage, and Queen Elizabeth even weighed in on the situation.
“When the queen wrote to her and demanded they get a divorce, she was blubbering on the phone, and I went over to calm her down,” Simmons recalled. “She said, ‘Simone, I never wanted to divorce Charles. I always loved him’. I told her she should never have given that interview.”
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Simmons isn’t the only one who claimed Diana never wanted to divorce Charles—Diana herself made comments to that effect—and many were initially surprised to hear that the princess regretted her bombshell interview in the end.