Days ahead of King Charles III’s coronation ceremony, a royal insider has made explosive claims about the British monarch’s marriage with his first wife Princess Diana. The insider has claimed that the ‘messy’ marriage of the couple was surely affected by infidelity as the world knows but it was Diana who cheated first, the New York Post reported.
In an upcoming documentary titled ‘King Charles: The Boy Who Walked Alone’, several close aides of the royal family, including a former royal protection officer named Allan Peters, shared their perspectives on the monarch’s life. Peters, who worked with the royal family for nine years, claimed that “the first person who strayed in the marriage was the Princess of Wales”. His comments came as part of the documentary set to premiere on May 2.
“[Charles] didn’t, until after he knew she had strayed. I’m speaking now about all this because I’ve said nothing for 40 years, and I’ve just listened to lies, silly stories, and it’s quite frustrating. There are only a few of us that can say what really happened,” he said referring to the media’s constant coverage of his alleged infidelity with Queen Consort Camilla.
Peters’ remarks were directed towards Diana’s alleged affair that he claimed happened with her bodyguard Barry Mannakee, who died at the age of 39 in a traffic accident in 1987. He claimed that Diana behaved “strangely” around Mannakee, suggesting she dressed and behaved “differently”.
“It was clear that something had gone on,” he said. “As far as I could ascertain, they were having an affair.” Peters’ also claimed that when he made efforts to have Mannakee transferred, the Princess of Wales was upset about it. “[She was] throwing her shoes at the back of my head. She was distraught, and life was quite difficult for everybody,” the NYP quoted Peters.
He also claimed to have a word about the incident with King Charles when the monarch wondered why the Princess was upset. Peters quoted their conversation saying “Charles said, ‘The only thing that seems to be upsetting her is that Barry is leaving … He can stay.” “I felt the need to say, ‘He has to go,’” Peters recalled.
Even though the couple separated in 1992 and got divorced in 1996, their marriage is still a topic of interest after all these years. Certainly, with Diana’s death in 1997 and the bodyguard having passed away, it’s impossible to fact check if the allegations are true and need an acknowledgement that they may not necessarily reflect the full picture. However, Peters remained adamant about his observations. “Charles never told the truth…he protected his sons from that…” he remarked.
