Paul Burrell Says Diana Sought Humanitarian Work Ahead of Her 65th Birthday

Q: Was Diana's romance with Dodi Fayed a tragic distraction from her one true love?

Probably not in any definitive sense, though that is how Paul Burrell portrays it. Burrell, Diana’s former butler, says heart surgeon Hasnat Khan was her “true love” and describes Dodi Fayed as a brief “summertime romance” and “a distraction.” His account fits a widely reported view that Diana’s relationship with Khan was deeper and longer-lasting, running for about two years until shortly before her death in 1997. Khan has often been described in royal coverage as one of the most serious relationships of her post-divorce life. But calling Dodi a “tragic distraction” goes beyond what can be firmly established. It is a retrospective judgment, largely based on Burrell’s interpretation of Diana’s feelings and the fatal outcome of the Paris crash. There is no way to know with certainty how Diana herself would have defined either relationship had she lived. It is also important to treat Burrell’s claims with caution. He was close to Diana and had firsthand access, but his credibility has been questioned over the years, and his comments are not neutral historical proof. Other reporting has long suggested Diana was trying to rebuild her life, navigate intense media pressure, and find emotional stability after her divorce. What is clearer from both Burrell’s remarks and the broader record is that Diana’s personal life often overshadowed what she most wanted to be known for: her humanitarian work. Burrell argues that this was the real story of her final years, more than any romance.

1 articles · Updated · MarieClaire.com · Jun 30

July 1 would have marked Princess Diana’s 65th birthday, and former butler Paul Burrell said her final years were widely misread because she wanted to use her fame for humanitarian work, not headlines.
1997 trips to Angola and Bosnia, Burrell said, showed the priority that public fascination with Diana’s relationships often overshadowed; he argued she chose activism over a quieter royal life.
Burrell also said heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, whom Diana dated from 1995 to July 1997, was her “true love” and that he secretly helped the couple meet at Kensington Palace.
Dodi Fayed, Burrell said, was only a “summertime romance,” framing Diana’s last months as a period still defined more by private turmoil and public scrutiny than by the work she most wanted remembered.