Author claims she felt "used and manipulated" by Princess Diana
An author has claimed she felt "manipulated and used" by Princess Diana, after she published a book detailing the late Princess's relationship with British Army captain James Hewitt.
Anna Pasternak, was widely criticised for her 1994 book Princess in Love, said she is now "firmly team Camilla", but admits she feels "sorry" for Diana, King Charles and the Queen Consort, believing they "suffered at the hands of an unrelenting monarchy".
A year before the publication of Anna's book, she wrote about Princess Diana's friendship with Captain Hewitt in a series of articles for the Daily Express, though their affair was not mentioned.
"Hewitt told me that he was only speaking to me because Diana had asked him to – although the series never hinted at an affair, it just showed them as good friends," Pasternak wrote in a piece for The Telegraph UK.
"Diana was in constant contact with him during this time. He said that she thanked him on the phone for 'talking, as you know I can't. At least people will know the truth'."
A year later, royal expert Andrew Morton's explosive new book came out and Diana feared his forthcoming next work would expose her affair with Hewitt.
Diana decided to take control of the narrative of her relationship and called on Pasternak, who was soon tasked with writing the book with Diana's permission.
Through Hewitt, Diana wanted Pasternak to write about their relationship so the "world could see that their love was genuine" and see why she had had an affair "in the face of Charles's rejection" believing the public "would not condemn her".
Hewitt called Pasternak the night Prince Charles admitted, on television, to having a relationship with Camilla.
He asked her to write the book in just five weeks, to beat the publication of Morton's second book.
The author said she wrote Princess In Love because she needed money and "burning with injustice for our adored, lonely princess, I genuinely thought that I was helping her".
The book was quickly condemned by the public and dismissed as "romantic nonsense", despite Diana soon confessing to her love affair with Hewitt in her BBC Panorama interview.
Pasternak says Hewitt was "ruined by his confession" and "would never have spoken out in the first place without Diana's encouragement and consent".
The author also admitted that she regretted the toll the book had on her reputation, her family and the royal family.
"It took me ages to realise that I felt manipulated and used by Diana. Now, firmly Team Camilla, I feel sorry for Diana, Charles and Camilla. Each of them suffered at the hands of an unrelenting monarchy."
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