Princess Diana's Panorama interview was the last straw in her marriage to then-Prince Charles.
In the bombshell interview seen by over 200 million people around the globe, Diana candidly talked about Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, admitted to having an affair with riding instructor James Hewitt, and also talked about the stress of being in the royal family and her struggle with bulimia.
After the interview was released on November 20th, Queen Elizabeth wrote to both Charles and Diana, urging the separated couple to begin a formal divorce.
But Diana’s closest aide at the time — her former private secretary Patrick Jephson — thinks the marriage could’ve been saved had it not been for the interview.
"It was not unreasonable to hope that before Panorama there could still be a royal reconciliation," he told People.
"After Panorama, there was no way back for Diana and the royal family," he added. "But before the broadcast, it was not unreasonable to hope that a reconciliation might yet be possible.”
"Before the ink was finally dry on the divorce documents, there were still grounds for people like me to hope that Charles and Diana could find a way through their difficulties," he reflected.
"It has been known to happen. And there would have been enormous public benefit from that if they had," he added.
Jephson went on to note that Diana played into the hands of Charles and Camilla by interviewing with Martin Bashir, who deceived her into believing that palace staff were spying on her.
"What Diana did in believing Bashir — and I’m guessing he didn’t realize he had achieved this — was to play right into the hands of her enemies in her husband’s and Camilla’s camp," Jephson argued.
"And that was to prove to the world that she was unsuitable and therefore must be excluded from the royal stage. I knew she had everything to contribute and would make a very good queen," he remarked.
Princess Diana and Charles' divorce was finalized in August 1996.
