A former Palace press secretary has opened up about Princess Diana’s 5am crisis call and the advice he gave her after Andrew Morton’s biography was published.
Dickie Arbiter, 83, worked for the royal family from 1988 to 2000, serving the late queen, King Charles and Princess Diana.
Speak with The Telegraphthe royal expert explained how he was sent to Charing Cross Station on the day the smash book Diana: Her True Story was published to collect the morning papers and said he was ‘stunned’ by what the Princess had said.
In the book, which sold more than five million copies that year, Diana described her mental health problems and the breakdown of her marriage to King Charles.
The expert recalled how the late Princess of Wales was concerned about press coverage of the book.
Pictured: The late Princess of Wales burst into tears as she left Liverpool’s Ashworth Hospice in June 1992, days after Andrew Morton’s biography was published
Dickie said: ‘Diana called me at five in the morning asking what to do, and I told her it couldn’t be undone now.’
Furthermore, Dickie recalled telling the Princess to keep a low profile ahead of her visit to Liverpool’s Ashworth Hospice a few days later.
He continued: ‘[I told her to] just to keep schtum, not answer her phone, and I would join her on her next engagement two days later to keep people away.”
When Princess Diana visited the hospice in Liverpool in June 1992, she was visibly distressed and burst into tears as she returned to her car.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that Diana arrived at a nearby hospital half an hour later, where she was greeted by a fan holding a sign that read, “We love you Diana.”
The revelations – condemned by many as sensational – were so damaging to the royal family’s public image that many bookstores and supermarkets banned them, completely unaware that Diana was the main source behind the work.
Five months after the book’s publication, former Prime Minister John Major announced that the Prince and Princess of Wales had formally separated. The couple’s divorce was finalized in 1996.
Elsewhere in Andrew Norton’s book, Princess Diana describes how she confronted Camilla about her relationship with Charles at her sister’s 40th birthday party.
Dickie Arbiter (pictured in November 2019) has opened up about Princess Diana’s 5am crisis call and the advice he gave her after Andrew Morton’s biography was published
In the book (pictured), which sold more than five million copies that year, Diana describes her mental health problems and the breakdown of her marriage to King Charles.
The late royal said: ‘No one expected me to come to the party [thrown by Lady Annabel Goldsmith in February 1989 for Camilla’s sister’s 40th birthday], but a voice inside me said, “Go for it.” So I got myself into something terrible.”
Beforehand, Diana explained how she decided to shake Camilla’s hand instead of kissing her on the cheeks, which she called a “big step.”
During the party, Diana recalled finding her husband talking to Camilla and another man – and told how she sent the men away because she “wanted to talk to Camilla.”
During their conversation, Diana claimed that Camilla told her, “You have everything you ever wanted. You have all the men in the world falling in love with you, and you have two beautiful children. What else do you want?’
The late royal claims to have replied: ‘I want my husband […] I’m sorry I’m in the way.
Andrew Morton (pictured in 1992) capitalized on his best-selling work by releasing Diana: Her True Story In Her Own Words just months after her death in 1997.
“I’m obviously in the way and it must be hell for both of you, but I know what’s going on. Don’t treat me like an idiot.’
In recordings Diana made for her biographer, the Princess of Wales spoke about her “ridiculous” marriage to Charles in 1981.
Diana said: ‘It was so grown up. Here is Diana, a kindergarten teacher. I mean, it was all ridiculous.”
The biographer capitalized on his best-selling work by releasing Diana: Her True Story In Her Own Words just months after her death in 1997.
The book contained the transcripts of their conversations, officially citing her as the main source.
This was followed by Diana: In Pursuit of Love in 2004, which detailed her affairs with soldier James Hewitt, heart surgeon Hasnat Khan and property developer Christopher Walley, among others.