James Hewitt, who had a well-known affair with Princess Diana during her marriage to King Charles III, spoke out about the ongoing tensions between Prince William and Prince Harry. The former British Army officer appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday to discuss his involvement with Operation Safedrop, a humanitarian initiative supporting Ukraine.
During the interview, host Richard Madeley asked Hewitt for his thoughts on the fractured relationship between the Prince of Wales, 42, and the Duke of Sussex, 40.
“Any mother would be devastated to see her children so divided,” Madeley remarked, as reported by the UK’s Express. “Do you think Diana could have helped mend their relationship?”
Hewitt responded, “I believe any mother would be deeply concerned about such a divide, and she would have done everything possible to bring them back together.”
The History of Hewitt and Diana
Hewitt and Diana first met at a gathering in 1986, where he later became her horseback riding instructor. Their romance reportedly lasted several years.
His comments come shortly after former palace aide Jason Knauf shared insights with 60 Minutes Australia regarding the brothers’ strained relationship.
“Watching this unfold in public has been incredibly difficult,” Knauf noted. “William has chosen to remain private about it, and those of us who know him must respect that.”
“It’s been painful for everyone close to them,” he added.
A Rift That Began in 2016
Tensions between William and Harry allegedly began in 2016 when William reportedly expressed concerns about the rapid progression of Harry’s relationship with Meghan Markle. Harry, feeling defensive, reportedly did not take his older brother’s concerns well.
The Duke of Sussex married Markle in 2018, but by 2020, they stepped down as senior royals and relocated to California, citing media scrutiny and racial biases as key reasons.
Since then, William and Harry have reunited on only a few occasions. Their most recent reported encounter was at a memorial service for their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, in August, where they allegedly kept their distance from each other.
Sources claim that Harry’s attempts to reconnect with his father, King Charles III, have gone unanswered, and efforts to reach out to William have also been ignored.
The Conflict Detailed in “Spare”
In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry recounted a heated 2019 argument in which William allegedly called Meghan “difficult” and “rude”, then physically attacked him, causing Harry to fall onto a dog bowl, leaving him with minor injuries.
Following the passing of Prince Philip in 2021, King Charles III reportedly urged his sons to mend their relationship, pleading, “Please, boys, don’t make my final years a misery.”
While promoting his book, Harry acknowledged that their mother would have been “heartbroken” by their falling out.
Debunking the Paternity Rumors
For years, speculation has circulated about Hewitt possibly being Harry’s biological father, due to their similar red hair and freckles. However, Richard Dalton, Princess Diana’s former hairdresser, dismissed these rumors in a 2024 interview with Fox News Digital.
“It’s simply not possible,” Dalton insisted. “Harry was already born well before Diana’s relationship with Hewitt began.”
He further explained that red hair runs in the Spencer family, citing Diana’s siblings as proof.
Diana’s Complicated Love Life
Dalton recalled being puzzled by Diana’s interest in riding lessons with Hewitt, as she had never been particularly fond of horseback riding.
“Diana was a young woman yearning for love,” he reflected.
He emphasized that while Diana may have been “giddy” about Hewitt, her affair with him stemmed from a lack of affection in her marriage rather than true love.
“Diana was emotionally starved in her marriage,” Dalton wrote in his memoir, It’s All About the Hair. “She was deeply in love with Charles at the time, not Hewitt.”
Dalton criticized Hewitt’s tell-all book, suggesting that he saw their relationship as a conquest rather than a genuine love story.
“If it hadn’t been Hewitt, it would have been someone else,” he wrote. “He was simply in the right place at the right time.”
The White House and Kensington Palace have not issued statements regarding the ongoing rift between the brothers.
About The Author
And, why should anyone care?
And, is Princess Diana still alive?
Or, wouldn’t you know that?