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The Crown season five has finally landed on our screens, with Elizabeth Debicki, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West among the new cast taking the dramatised take on the royal family into the 1990s.
The story continues into the tumultuous 1990s, featuring the divorces of Princes Charles and Diana, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and Princess Anne and Mark Phillips.
While the future King grows closer to Camilla, Elizabeth’s Diana prepares to give her notorious 1995 interview with Martin Bashir, played by Prasanna Puwanarajah.
Things turn even more tense when Mohamed Al Fayed, played by Salim Daw, arrives on the scene as he fights for a seat at the table for himself and his son Dodi, played by Khalid Abdalla.
As scandals begin to unfold on our screens, from ‘tampon-gate’ to Fergie’s ‘toe-sucking’, one stands out – the alleged affair between Princess Diana and James Hewitt.
The breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage is explored in the new series (Picture: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Dominic West plays Prince Charles with Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana (Picture: Netflix / Keith Bernstein)
Who is James Hewitt?
Hewitt was a cavalry officer who became Diana’s riding instructor shortly before the two were said to be romantically involved, while she was still married to the future King.
Hewitt was born in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1958 before growing up in Kent and Devon.
He served in the British Army from 1978 for 17 years, working his way up from second lieutenant in Life Guards.
After his alleged affair with Princess Diana, Hewitt starred in several reality shows including Channel 5’s Back to Reality in 2004 (which he won) and the celebrity X Factor spin-off, Battle of the Stars, in 2006.
He also appeared in the first episode of Top Gear series eight with other celebrities.
Diana and Hewitt met in 1986 (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
How did Princess Diana and James Hewitt meet?
The Lady Spencer and Hewitt met at a party in 1986, hosted by Diana’s lady-in-waiting Hazel West.
In the book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, Diana’s royal bodyguard Ken Wharfe wrote: ‘She said that their first conversation was completely natural, and it was this that first attracted her to him.’
Wharfe continued, according to People magazine: ‘They got along famously from the start … Hewitt told her he was a riding instructor; when she in turn spoke of her long-held fear of riding, he offered to help her overcome it.’
Hewitt later won Channel 5’s Back to Reality (Picture: Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage)
When did their alleged affair begin?
Hewitt revealed in his book Princess in Love, published with journalist Anna Pasternak in 1994, that he and Diana had an affair for five years between 1986 and 1991.
The book went on to detail their relationship, and Hewitt actually published another after Diana’s death in 1997.
In 1999, he published memoir Love and War, which revealed more details about the alleged affair, and in the years that followed, Hewitt spoke about being approached to sell love letters he received from Diana.
Who else has Princess Diana dated?
Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed during their holiday in St. Tropez, France (Picture: ABACA/PA Images)
Between 1992 and 1994, it was reported that Diana dated art dealer Oliver Hoare, who was a friend of Prince Charles, but their relationship reportedly came to an end over Hoare’s refusal to leave his wife.
It has also been reported that Diana had romantic relationships with protection officer Barry Mannakee and rugby legend Will Carling.
Hasnat Khan was a British-Pakistani heart surgeon who had a two-year relationship with the Princess, but they separated just months before her death in 1997.
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Dodi and Diana first met in 1986, and a year later, a picture of the pair kissing on a yacht in the south of France made headlines.
Dodi died in the fatal Paris crash of 1997, along with driver Henri Paul, with it being reported later that Diana died in hospital from injuries sustained during the crash.
The Crown season 5 is available to watch on Netflix.
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