According to a new book, King Charles stated that his former private secretary suggested he admit openly to being unfaithful to Princess Diana in a television appearance.
In 1994, Charles, then known as the Prince of Wales, accepted an offer from British journalist Jonathan Dimbleby to be interviewed on national television. He and Princess Diana, whom he had married in 1981, had been separated for two years at the time. During this interview, Prince addressed speculations regarding the nature of his relationship with his now-wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort.
Valentine Low, author of the Thursday-released book “Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown,” claimed that Charles’ confession suffered “incalculable reputational damage.” Low stated that it would also serve as the reason for his private secretary, Richard Aylard, to resign in 1997.
Richard Aylard denied the request for response from Insider. Buckingham Palace did not react promptly to an inquiry from Insider.
Richard Aylard, Charles’ former private secretary, quit his position in 1997.
Chris Bacon – PA Images/PA Images courtesy of Getty Images.
As previously reported by Insider, Charles told Dimbebly during the interview that he was “loyal and honorable” to Diana during their marriage “until it broke down irretrievably, despite our best efforts.”
According to Low, Charles’ confession was met with opposition not only from the general people but also from members of the royal family. In his latest book, the author resurrected a tale previously published in Sally Bedell Smith’s 2017 book, “Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life,” in which Charles was asked during a dinner months after the interview what prompted him to confess.
“He pointed across the table at his private secretary and angrily exclaimed, ‘He made me do it!'” a fellow dinner guest recalled. “It was a pretty unpleasant moment,” said one dinner guest, according to Low’s account.
Low wrote that this would be the beginning of the end for Richard Aylard’s career in royal service. Aylard, he said, had previously been hired to help Diana adjust to her career in the public eye and had been tasked with mending the breach between the princess and Prince Charles as their marriage worsened.
Charles and Diana, respectively.
Tim Graham / Getty Images Contributor
Low stated, “Charles’s confession of infidelity – verified the next day by Aylard at a press conference, when he specified that Charles had been referring to Mrs Parker Bowles – would suffer the prince irreparable reputational damage.”
According to Aylard, it was the correct course of action to urge Charles to “admit adultery,” the author added.
“Charles may lie, speak the truth, or avoid answering the question. If he lied, he would be discovered at some point in the future. Low continued, “If he evaded the subject, the tabloids would continue digging until they discovered the evidence they desired.”
But regardless of the validity of Aylard’s reasoning, Low deemed it futile, stating that his “days were numbered” in Charles’ employ because Camilla disliked him. Although he didn’t leave his position until 1997, Low said that Aylard’s replacement, Mark Bolland, had already been hired and tasked with “getting rid of” him on many occasions.
According to an unidentified source contacted by Low, Charles’ revelation was the last straw in her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles, from whom she filed for divorce in January 2005.
“She was really angry about the Dimbleby exercise, as it was the decisive factor in the dissolution of her marriage. Camilla and Richard had a significant dispute,” the insider told Low.