A former Palace press secretary has spoken out 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 and served the late Queen, King Charles and Princess Diana.
speaking to The TelegraphThe royal expert explained how he was sent to Charing Cross station on the day the explosive book Diana: Her True Story was published to collect the morning newspapers and said he was “stunned” by what the princess had said.
In the book, which sold more than five million copies that year, Diana detailed her mental health problems and the breakdown of her marriage to King Charles.
The expert recalled how the late Princess of Wales had been eager for press coverage of the book.
Pictured: The late Princess of Wales is seen breaking down in tears as she leaves Ashworth Hospice in Liverpool in June 1992, days after Andrew Morton’s biography was published.
Dickie said: “Diana called me at 5am asking what she should do and I told her it couldn’t be undone now.”
What’s more, Dickie recalled how he told the princess to keep a low profile before her visit to Ashworth Hospice in Liverpool a couple of days later.
He continued, “(I told her to do it) just to keep calm, not answer her phone, and I would accompany her to her next engagement two days later to keep people at bay.”
When she visited the Liverpool hospice in June 1992, Princess Diana was visibly distraught and broke down in 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 royals’ public image that many bookstores and supermarkets banned them, completely ignoring that Diana was the main source behind the work.
Five months after the book was published, 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 detailed how she confronted Camilla about her relationship with Charles at her sister’s 40th birthday party.
Dickie Arbiter (pictured November 2019) spoke 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 detailed her mental health problems and the breakdown of her marriage to King Charles.
The late royal said: “No one expected me to turn up at the party (hosted by Lady Annabel Goldsmith in February 1989 for Camilla’s sister’s 40th birthday), but a voice inside me said: ‘Go for it.’ the pleasure of doing it.” So I imagined something horrible.
Ahead of time, Diana explained how she had decided to shake Camilla’s hand instead of kissing her cheeks, which she called a “big step.”
During the party, Diana recalled finding her husband chatting with Camilla and another man, and detailed 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 in love with you and you have two beautiful children. What more could you want?’
The late royal claims to have responded: ‘I love my husband (…) I’m sorry to be in the way.
Andrew Morton (pictured in 1992) built on her best-selling work by publishing Diana: Her True Story In Her Own Words just months after her death in 1997.
‘Obviously I’m on the road and it must be hell for both of us, but I know what’s going on. Don’t treat me like an idiot.
In recordings that Diana made for her biographer, the Princess of Wales spoke of her “ridiculous” wedding to Charles in 1981.
Diana said: ‘He was so old. Here is Diana, a kindergarten teacher. I mean the whole thing was ridiculous.
The biographer built on her best-selling work by publishing Diana: Her True Story In Her Own Words just months after her death in 1997.
The book featured transcripts of their conversations, officially declaring her as the primary source.
This was followed by Diana: In Pursuit of Love in 2004, which details her adventures with the likes of soldier James Hewitt, heart surgeon Hasnat Khan and property developer Christopher Walley.