Age-old debate on who cheated first between Prince Charles and Lady Diana intensifies as the late princess’ former bodyguard releases personal account
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Princess Diana's former senior protection officer Sergeant Allan Peters has recently given a startling interview with CNN, an American network, revealing his account of the late royal's alleged cheating which triggered Prince Charles to return to Camilla's arms.
Former royal bodyguard Allan Peters recalled that he informed Prince Charles of the alleged affair of Princess Diana with her personal protection officer. Credit: Mauro Carraro/Rex Features.
Peters claimed that it was he who informed the King in waiting, of his wife's affair.
The account is just one of the many claims about the alleged affair of Lady Di with her bodyguard Barry Mannakkee.
However, the revelation of this claim is untimely as the public focuses on the concerns over the Queen's health as well as the ongoing simmering tensions between Prince Harry and the Royal Family.
Speculations of whether Sergeant Peters' account may have been discreetly encouraged by Prince Charles' camp as he edges closer to the throne — anxiously making Camilla his queen — have been voiced out by those who are close to the late princess.
Claims of whether the account was released to flip public opinion on the long-standing argument of who cheated first — portraying Diana as the first to break off her bitter marriage with Charles — floated around.
A figure close to Diana, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'It does seem extraordinary that Allan Peters, who has hardly ever spoken of his royal service, should choose to do so now and about this topic.'
'It does make one wonder about the motive.'
Others have suggested that there might be a touch of envy in Peter's claims.
It must be noted that the ex-policeman has barely uttered a single word to the public about the late princess since the two parted ways in 1989.
However, judging by the interview Peters has given to CNN, the former royal bodyguard has got a lot to get off his chest.
Peters told CNN: 'The popular perception is that the Prince of Wales was straying throughout his marriage — and that is definitely, unequivocally, not the case.'
'The first person who strayed was the Princess. He went back to Mrs Parker Bowles after he learned about her affair with Mannakee.'
The ex-police officer, who spent seven years as a protection officer to Diana in the 1980s until he was abruptly removed, claims that he began to notice the late royal behaving oddly whenever Mannakee, who also worked to look after Diana, and the Princes William and Harry as toddlers, was around.
Peters claimed that the late princess allegedly confessed that she was having some sort of relationship with Mannakee after denying anything about it at first.
The former royal bodyguard also said that Prince Charles approached him, asking why his wife was acting oddly.
"What on the earth is the matter?" asked Prince Charles, according to Peters.
To which the ex-police officer answered: "You've got to talk to her.'
Charles then allegedly asked Peters: 'Well, I've tried all that, and the only thing that seems to be upsetting her is that Barry Mannakee is going back to uniform. And if she's that upset, Barry can stay.'
Astonishingly, Peters then said that if that happened, he would have to leave — presumably because he felt it would compromise his position.
'I think at that point the penny dropped — he was utterly shocked and was clearly very upset.'
Rumours about the alleged affair of the late royal with Mannakee have been around for years. Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images.
Rumours about the alleged affair of Lady Di with Mannakee have been around for years.
It was rumoured that the late Princess wept uncontrollably, tearing at her clothes and scratching her arms and legs so much that upon arrival at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival her gown had to be adjusted by a lady in waiting to cover the damage to her body, after learning of the death of Mannakee.
This has led to conspiracy theories claiming that the former royal bodyguard did not die of an accident, instead he had been "bumped off" to ensure his silence.
Years later, in a series of tape recordings made by her voice coach Peter Settelen, Diana was recorded describing her late former bodyguard as "the greatest fellow I ever had".
'I was only happy when he was around [and] I was quite happy to give it all up just to go off and live with him. Can you believe it? And he kept saying he thought it was a good idea, too.'
Barry Mannakee first arrived at Kensington Palace in 1985. The then-37-year-old worked on a rota system alongside Lady Diana's — who was 24 at the time — senior protection officers, Inspector Graham Smith and Sergeant Peters.
Mannakee's easy familiarity, which eventually evolved into closeness with the Princess, made Palace staff members feel 'quite uncomfortable'.
'We could see she liked him,' recalled a workmate. 'It was 'Barry this' and 'Barry that.' But we never dreamed there was anything between them because Barry was a blabbermouth... he'd have boasted about it. He never did.'
The closeness of the two came at the time of mounting turmoil for the Princess, when the unhappiness of her marriage was intensifying.
Peters remarked that Mannakee was not only a good talker, he was also a very good listener. nothing that he can keep a good conversation going for with the royal during their 90-minute drives taking the young Princes to Highgrove for the weekend.
They called them their 'M4 chats'. Mannakee would be with Lady Di in the car when she took William from Kensington Palace to Mrs Mynors Nursery School in Notting Hill, and he would be there when she called to pick up her son.
The question of whether this closeness developed further into intimacy is something Diana has never divulged in her video recordings, never mentioning Mannakee's name during her interviews.
The late Princess however has said that she had fallen 'deeply in love with somebody who worked in this environment'.
But the fact is that circumstances often left the Princess and the policeman alone. And when she found his presence comforting, it was hardly surprising that this led to the first flirtations.
Mannakee, who was known for being brazenly confident, had no hesitations about flirting with Diana in front of servants.
It was rumoured that the late royal, who dressed up for a dinner date, playfully wiggled her bottom — which was said to be clad in a tight, short skirt.
According to observers, Mannakee replied: 'Sensational, as you know you do.' And then he added: 'I could quite fancy you myself.'
Diana responded giggling: 'But you already do, don't you?'
Mannakee soon became Diana's chosen protection officer on shopping trips.
It was also reported that the pair had been allegedly seen driving together by themselves, on the empty roads of Balmoral.
Diana had also reportedly thrown herself into the arms of Mannakee, sobbing: 'I just can't go on anymore. I just can't,' one day when the late Princess was particularly low.
The gossip, which quickly spread through the Palace, was not the most intense rumour about the alleged affair — it was the alleged act that happened the night before Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson on July 22, 1986.
What is said to have happened is this: Diana, having chosen the dress she would wear to the Westminster Abbey wedding, kissed her children goodnight and hurried to her drawing-room. Waiting there was Mannakee.
It was said that a senior member of Prince Charles' staff eavesdropped by putting his head around the door.
He was said to have found the officer consoling the princess with an arm around her.
The staff was believed to have reported the incident to Prince Charles which led to the termination of Mannakee as a royal protection officer.
This account is not quite the version Peters claimed.
Regardless, Mannakee was accused of being 'over-familiar' by his superiors, so they put him back in uniform and moved him to diplomatic duties.
However, it was reported to the public that the former royal bodyguard was transferred at his own request.
At the time, Mannakee told the Mail: 'I was transferred for domestic reasons. The job meant long hours away from home.'
He also emphasised that his relationship with Diana was "[just] good friends, nothing more".
A year later, Mannakee reportedly died in a motorbike accident.
Ken Wharfe, who took over from Mannakee as William and Harry's bodyguard before replacing Sergeant Peters at Diana's side, has never believed the gossip.
He said that the late royal told him that the gossip about her alleged affair with Mannakee was a 'smear campaign' against her by Prince Charles' camp.
'Diana was not averse to embellishing the truth, but I believed her then and do still,' Wharfe said. Diana never admitted, not even to her dearest friends, an affair, though she did say Mannakee had 'meant an awful lot to me, he was my father figure and looked after me'.
Additionally, Diana's old friend Simone Simmons claimed that Diana was 'swearing on her children's lives that there had been no affair'.
She said: 'She told me she talked to him a lot, that she could open up to him and him to her and he also passed information he picked up about Camilla.'
As for the question of who cheated first, she said that Diana was never in doubt as she simply believed that the Prince had never stopped seeing Camilla.
Diana said that she believed that her husband had never stopped seeing Camilla while they were still married. Credit: Daily Mail UK.
Former royal bodyguard Allan Peters recalled that he informed Prince Charles of the alleged affair of Princess Diana with her personal protection officer. Credit: Mauro Carraro/Rex Features.
Peters claimed that it was he who informed the King in waiting, of his wife's affair.
The account is just one of the many claims about the alleged affair of Lady Di with her bodyguard Barry Mannakkee.
However, the revelation of this claim is untimely as the public focuses on the concerns over the Queen's health as well as the ongoing simmering tensions between Prince Harry and the Royal Family.
Speculations of whether Sergeant Peters' account may have been discreetly encouraged by Prince Charles' camp as he edges closer to the throne — anxiously making Camilla his queen — have been voiced out by those who are close to the late princess.
Claims of whether the account was released to flip public opinion on the long-standing argument of who cheated first — portraying Diana as the first to break off her bitter marriage with Charles — floated around.
A figure close to Diana, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'It does seem extraordinary that Allan Peters, who has hardly ever spoken of his royal service, should choose to do so now and about this topic.'
'It does make one wonder about the motive.'
Others have suggested that there might be a touch of envy in Peter's claims.
It must be noted that the ex-policeman has barely uttered a single word to the public about the late princess since the two parted ways in 1989.
However, judging by the interview Peters has given to CNN, the former royal bodyguard has got a lot to get off his chest.
Peters told CNN: 'The popular perception is that the Prince of Wales was straying throughout his marriage — and that is definitely, unequivocally, not the case.'
'The first person who strayed was the Princess. He went back to Mrs Parker Bowles after he learned about her affair with Mannakee.'
The ex-police officer, who spent seven years as a protection officer to Diana in the 1980s until he was abruptly removed, claims that he began to notice the late royal behaving oddly whenever Mannakee, who also worked to look after Diana, and the Princes William and Harry as toddlers, was around.
Peters claimed that the late princess allegedly confessed that she was having some sort of relationship with Mannakee after denying anything about it at first.
The former royal bodyguard also said that Prince Charles approached him, asking why his wife was acting oddly.
"What on the earth is the matter?" asked Prince Charles, according to Peters.
To which the ex-police officer answered: "You've got to talk to her.'
Charles then allegedly asked Peters: 'Well, I've tried all that, and the only thing that seems to be upsetting her is that Barry Mannakee is going back to uniform. And if she's that upset, Barry can stay.'
Astonishingly, Peters then said that if that happened, he would have to leave — presumably because he felt it would compromise his position.
'I think at that point the penny dropped — he was utterly shocked and was clearly very upset.'
Rumours about the alleged affair of the late royal with Mannakee have been around for years. Credit: Tim Graham/Getty Images.
Rumours about the alleged affair of Lady Di with Mannakee have been around for years.
It was rumoured that the late Princess wept uncontrollably, tearing at her clothes and scratching her arms and legs so much that upon arrival at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival her gown had to be adjusted by a lady in waiting to cover the damage to her body, after learning of the death of Mannakee.
This has led to conspiracy theories claiming that the former royal bodyguard did not die of an accident, instead he had been "bumped off" to ensure his silence.
Years later, in a series of tape recordings made by her voice coach Peter Settelen, Diana was recorded describing her late former bodyguard as "the greatest fellow I ever had".
'I was only happy when he was around [and] I was quite happy to give it all up just to go off and live with him. Can you believe it? And he kept saying he thought it was a good idea, too.'
Barry Mannakee first arrived at Kensington Palace in 1985. The then-37-year-old worked on a rota system alongside Lady Diana's — who was 24 at the time — senior protection officers, Inspector Graham Smith and Sergeant Peters.
Mannakee's easy familiarity, which eventually evolved into closeness with the Princess, made Palace staff members feel 'quite uncomfortable'.
'We could see she liked him,' recalled a workmate. 'It was 'Barry this' and 'Barry that.' But we never dreamed there was anything between them because Barry was a blabbermouth... he'd have boasted about it. He never did.'
The closeness of the two came at the time of mounting turmoil for the Princess, when the unhappiness of her marriage was intensifying.
Peters remarked that Mannakee was not only a good talker, he was also a very good listener. nothing that he can keep a good conversation going for with the royal during their 90-minute drives taking the young Princes to Highgrove for the weekend.
They called them their 'M4 chats'. Mannakee would be with Lady Di in the car when she took William from Kensington Palace to Mrs Mynors Nursery School in Notting Hill, and he would be there when she called to pick up her son.
The question of whether this closeness developed further into intimacy is something Diana has never divulged in her video recordings, never mentioning Mannakee's name during her interviews.
The late Princess however has said that she had fallen 'deeply in love with somebody who worked in this environment'.
But the fact is that circumstances often left the Princess and the policeman alone. And when she found his presence comforting, it was hardly surprising that this led to the first flirtations.
Mannakee, who was known for being brazenly confident, had no hesitations about flirting with Diana in front of servants.
It was rumoured that the late royal, who dressed up for a dinner date, playfully wiggled her bottom — which was said to be clad in a tight, short skirt.
According to observers, Mannakee replied: 'Sensational, as you know you do.' And then he added: 'I could quite fancy you myself.'
Diana responded giggling: 'But you already do, don't you?'
Mannakee soon became Diana's chosen protection officer on shopping trips.
It was also reported that the pair had been allegedly seen driving together by themselves, on the empty roads of Balmoral.
Diana had also reportedly thrown herself into the arms of Mannakee, sobbing: 'I just can't go on anymore. I just can't,' one day when the late Princess was particularly low.
The gossip, which quickly spread through the Palace, was not the most intense rumour about the alleged affair — it was the alleged act that happened the night before Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson on July 22, 1986.
What is said to have happened is this: Diana, having chosen the dress she would wear to the Westminster Abbey wedding, kissed her children goodnight and hurried to her drawing-room. Waiting there was Mannakee.
It was said that a senior member of Prince Charles' staff eavesdropped by putting his head around the door.
He was said to have found the officer consoling the princess with an arm around her.
The staff was believed to have reported the incident to Prince Charles which led to the termination of Mannakee as a royal protection officer.
This account is not quite the version Peters claimed.
Regardless, Mannakee was accused of being 'over-familiar' by his superiors, so they put him back in uniform and moved him to diplomatic duties.
However, it was reported to the public that the former royal bodyguard was transferred at his own request.
At the time, Mannakee told the Mail: 'I was transferred for domestic reasons. The job meant long hours away from home.'
He also emphasised that his relationship with Diana was "[just] good friends, nothing more".
A year later, Mannakee reportedly died in a motorbike accident.
Ken Wharfe, who took over from Mannakee as William and Harry's bodyguard before replacing Sergeant Peters at Diana's side, has never believed the gossip.
He said that the late royal told him that the gossip about her alleged affair with Mannakee was a 'smear campaign' against her by Prince Charles' camp.
'Diana was not averse to embellishing the truth, but I believed her then and do still,' Wharfe said. Diana never admitted, not even to her dearest friends, an affair, though she did say Mannakee had 'meant an awful lot to me, he was my father figure and looked after me'.
Additionally, Diana's old friend Simone Simmons claimed that Diana was 'swearing on her children's lives that there had been no affair'.
She said: 'She told me she talked to him a lot, that she could open up to him and him to her and he also passed information he picked up about Camilla.'
As for the question of who cheated first, she said that Diana was never in doubt as she simply believed that the Prince had never stopped seeing Camilla.
Diana said that she believed that her husband had never stopped seeing Camilla while they were still married. Credit: Daily Mail UK.
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Her actions are still being scrutinised so long after her death.
