Diana's Friends, Lovers and Bodyguards

[Curryong]

I think it was just a summer holiday romance as far as Diana was concerned. Nothing more, nothing less. Diana wouldn't have married Dodi Al Fayed in a million years, IMO.

[Osipi]

To be honest, I think that possibly the attraction to Dodi Al-Fayed was that this was a man that fawned over her, made a big fuss over her and put her on a pedestal of adoration. This, in my opinion, was what "love" was to Diana and how it should be expressed.

I also believe that should the romance have continued, sooner or later something would have happened that shed a light of reality on the persona of Dodi. He was a consummate playboy and if he could have put on such a show wooing Diana while having a fiance' nearby on a separate yacht, chances are that his nature would eventually come to light once the "magic" of the newfound romance petered out.

Diana was searching for the fairy tale paperback romance which disintegrates into fairy dust when reality hits it.

[Mirabel]

Originally Posted by abbra

I find it very hard to believe Diana would choose a mutt like Dodi Fayed as a potential spouse. Plus the ring that supposedly Dodi was going to give Diana as an engagement ring was just gaudy and ugly. I couldn't see her wearing something like that for as stylish as she was. Was money the big attraction for her hooking up with Dodi? I just don't believe she could love someone like Dodi.

I'm with you on that!
Dodi wasn't an unknown quantity, he had a reputation, and it wasn't pretty.
Diana had to know.

So I think he was just an I'll show you! to Charles- hooking up with someone about as sleazy as you can get.

[roseroyal]

An I'll show you to Charles or Hasnat Khan?

[Curryong]

But Diana did sustain a relationship with Hasnet Khan for two years or so, Osipi, and presumably some of his 'real' nature slipped out sometime after the initial 'magic' passed. And if we are talking about fawning and putting on a pedestal there is plenty of that going on in the embarrassing Camillagate tapes, in one direction, from Camilla to Charles. And ego in his reply 'Your greatest achievement is loving me'. !!

[Mirabel]

Originally Posted by roseroyal

An I'll show you to Charles or Hasnat Khan?

My guess is to Charles.

Diana had already ended things with Khan, and that follows a familiar pattern.
She was the one who broke it off, and once she'd broken with someone, that was it- it was like, in her eyes, they no longer existed.

So she would not have cared about making him jealous, despite what the tabloids might print about him as the love of her life.

But she could never break completely with Charles, because of their sons.
There'd always be a connection.

(Besides, she knew what the RF, and the aristocracy, thought of the Fayeds).

[wyevale]

Diana's 'spite' in hooking up with the likes of Dodi Al Fayed is all too clear, yet many people 'take her at her word' in the interview recently resurrected by Channel 4, in the UK. She was a 'user' of anyone who might further whatever 'fad' she currently had, regardless of their feelings. And 'drop them like a stone' when she'd moved on.

Obviously a Woman of considerable mental instability...as I learn more of her I like her less and less...

[Denville]

Originally Posted by wyevale

Diana's 'spite' in hooking up with the likes of Dodi Al Fayed is all too clear, yet many people 'take her at her word' in the interview recently resurrected by Channel 4, in the UK. She was a 'user' of anyone who might further whatever 'fad' she currently had, regardless of their feelings. And 'drop them like a stone' when she'd moved on.

Obviously a Woman of considerable mental instability...as I learn more of her I like her less and less...

what on earth "spite" was ivolved???? she dated Dodi for a few weeks, she seems to have grown to like him, but she was not according to various thngs she said, serious abuot him. It was a summer romance. he was not that serious about her, since he had another woman.. but I think he did like her and it was no hardship to spent a few weeks with her, and to consider marriage if his father was trying to promote one.
if she had dropped him, it would hardly break his heart.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Mirabel

My guess is to Charles.

Diana had already ended things with Khan, and that follows a familiar pattern.
She was the one who broke it off, and once she'd broken with someone, that was it- it was like, in her eyes, they no longer existed.

So she would not have cared about making him jealous, despite what the tabloids might print about him as the love of her life.

the aristocracy, thought of the Fayeds).

Of course she would care. Absurd IMO to say that once she had broken with someone "they never existed." how can you possibly know that? I think that it is obvious that she was (durng that summer) hurt by the fact that Khan, though he loved her, didn't want to marry her.. and it was clear that their relationship was going nowhere.. so to have a Muslim boyfriend like Dodi, who was happy to be seen with her.. was something she could "show him" with..
It was a rebound romance, I think she "clicked" with Dodi, or she would not have dated him.. Observers said that there was a spark between them.. and they had both had sad family backgrounds, loneliness in childhood, been under-acheivers, etc. So I think that she and he had enough in common for a short light hearted romance... and it was nice for her, after hiding her men for years, to be seen in public with a man who was glad to be seen with her.. and esp after Khan had been so reluctant to make their romance known evne to his family.
And she was also hurt by Charles' behaviour. She never entirely stopped caring for him, and she was always tied ot him by the boys, and it hurt her to see him being increasingly open in his affair with Camilla and knowing that in due course she was probably going to see him marrying Camilla and her boys having her as a step mother. So for those 2 reasons she was happy to have Dodi as a boyfriend..

[Mirabel]

Originally Posted by Denville

Of course she would care. Absurd IMO to say that once she had broken with someone "they never existed." how can you possibly know that?

How can you possibly know that she would care?
You see? We all have our impressions, and without knowing someone personally, that is what we have to go by.

I'm basing my opinion on what happened with Hewitt, Gilbey, and others.
Once she had ended the relationship, she totally cut people off.
That happened not only with lovers but also with former friends like Fergie.
Diana dropped them and that was that.

[Osipi]

Originally Posted by Mirabel

How can you possibly know that she would care?
You see? We all have our impressions, and without knowing someone personally, that is what we have to go by.

I'm basing my opinion on what happened with Hewitt, Gilbey, and others.
Once she had ended the relationship, she totally cut people off.
That happened not only with lovers but also with former friends like Fergie.
Diana dropped them and that was that.

In all the biographies I have, I think the description that Diana "froze them out" is the most used. Cross Diana and you were frozen out as if you didn't exist. It was the same for everyone that Diana felt were no longer trustworthy. With a relationship, once it was over, it was over and done with and she moved on. This isn't to say that she also "kissed and made up" with friends she had frozen out but this was her typical MO.

I do think Diana had a lot of trust issues with people and considering what she was going through at the time, its understandable.

As far as Dodi was concerned, by the time of the last vacation, Dodi was free as a bird with no ties to anyone. Kelly Fisher though had headed back to Los Angeles and started a breach of contract lawsuit against Dodi. Dodi and the Al-Fayeds and their vacation invitation came along at an opportune time for Diana. It got her out of the country with a measure of privacy guaranteed. I just can't fathom that the relationship was anywhere near serious at the time as they had basically just gone through the "nice to meet you" stage. A summertime fling on the open seas sounds more apt than dreams of love and marriage.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Mirabel

How I'm basing my opinion on what happened with Hewitt, Gilbey, and others.
Once she had ended the relationship, she totally cut people off.
That happened not only with lovers but also with former friends like Fergie.
Diana dropped them and that was that.

I don't remember her breaking up with Gilbey so I'm not sure what you mean. As for JH, he behaved terribly, and I can't imagine why anyone would think she should remain friendly with him. In addition, MOST people when they break up iwht a lover, don't see much of them.. unless they are part of a circle of friends. Why would you go on seeing an ex lover?
As for Fergie, she and Diana had a row. A silly one, but it was a row and again, people DO tend to stop seeing someone once they have had a row with them...
But there's a difference anyway between "not seeing someone" and "acting like they never existed". I don't believe she was that "psychopathic". She might not want to se an ex boyfriend, or friend but I don't believe she was "acting like they were NOTHING..."
She and Khan had more than one break up, they had arguments but would get back together, because they loved each other.. and would make up their arguments.. but in the end, his refusal to go public was bound to end the relationship. However I would not have been surprised, from what I've learned of Dodi, that perhaps after finishing with him, she might not have taken Hasnat K back again, at least for a bit.. since he was a much nicer person..
It wouldn't have solved the problems in their relationship of their different cultures and social postions, but I think that she still cared for him and he for her...

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Osipi

In all the biographies I have, I think the description that Diana "froze them out" is the most used. Cross Diana and you were frozen out as if you didn't exist. It was the same for everyone that Diana felt were no longer trustworthy. With a relationship, once it was over, it was over and done with and she moved on. This isn't to say that she also "kissed and made up" with friends she had frozen out but this was her typical MO.

I do think Diana had a lot of trust issues with people and considering what she was going through at the time, its understandable.

Asand marriage.

well if you quarrel with someone, (foolishly or otherwise) you DONT want to see them again. She did make up friendships at times, but I can understand, in her life, it was so hard to be sure if you could trust people... that if she felt that she'd been let down badly, she wasn't sure if she should give people a second chance. She had a row with Rosa Monckton, and got back with her, when Rosa lost a baby.. She was on bad terms with Raine Spencer, and later developed a friendship with her..

[Mirabel]

Originally Posted by Denville

But there's a difference anyway between "not seeing someone" and "acting like they never existed". I don't believe she was that "psychopathic". She might not want to se an ex boyfriend, or friend but I don't believe she was "acting like they were NOTHING..."

We'll have to agree to disagree.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Mirabel

We'll have to agree to disagree.

well I'm not sure what you mean.. I mean one might quarrel with someone say "he's dead to me" (NOT meaning it literally).. and perhaps walk past him in the street.. and not speak. But Its not clear if you mean that or something more than that. I meaen I might have a row with someone, blank him if we met, but if he collapsed, in front of me..or had a bereavement, i'd at least make a small gesture of support or rush to help...

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Osipi

In As far as Dodi was concerned, by the time of the last vacation, Dodi was free as a bird with no ties to anyone. Kelly Fisher though had headed back to Los Angeles and started a breach of contract lawsuit against Dodi. marriage.

If I were Diana I wouldn't care that she'd split with him, i'd feel very uneasy that he had been involved with another woman, been at least semi engaged to her.. So I feel that if Diana "ignored it", either she was very much into Dodi, or she was just having some fun with him and it didn't matter that he had another woman very recently...

[Osipi]

Originally Posted by Denville

If I were Diana I wouldn't care that she'd split with him, i'd feel very uneasy that he had been involved with another woman, been at least semi engaged to her.. So I feel that if Diana "ignored it", either she was very much into Dodi, or she was just having some fun with him and it didn't matter that he had another woman very recently...

Or... there is the distinct possibility that Diana didn't have a clue that Kelly even existed in the first place. What Daddy wanted, Dodi did and to woo Diana was Daddy's wish for Dodi to do. By this article, it states that Kelly was engaged to Dodi, they'd bought a mansion for a marital home and the date was tentatively set for August 9, 1997. It seems like Dodi was living a double life at the time and neither Diana or Kelly knew of the other's existence as far as Dodi's whereabouts were concerned.

From the article: Kelly thought Dodi’s demanding father was taking up his son’s time. It amazes me how long it took her to catch on that her fiancé was having an affair. On August 10, 1997, the paparazzi snapshot that became known as “The Kiss” appeared in the Sunday Mirror. The picture left no doubt that Dodi and Diana were romantically involved. Kelly was toast. She must have known that she was no match for the Princess of Wales, and she hotfooted it back to Hollywood, where she immediately hired the well-known Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred to file a breach-of-contract suit against Dodi.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/05/dunne200805

So, I think its very possible that Diana really didn't know a thing about Kelly at all and to me, it shows how dominant Daddy Al-Fayed was in Dodi's life and how easily he could turn on the charm and disregard any commitment he'd already made to another because Daddy told him to woo Diana.

Basically, its my opinion that the "love affair" and the deep abiding love that Dodi and Diana felt for each other and that they were about to become engaged and live happily ever after were dreams and fantasies in Daddy Al-Fayed's mind as that is what *he* wanted to happen. Diana, at the time, was just another piece on the chessboard to get what he wanted.

[Denville]

well obviously a lot of the love affair was conjured up by MAK...
but there was something. They were dating, possibly sleeping together.
I don't think that Diana would have had a fling with him without some genuine feeling but I think the more she saw of him, she began to find a lot of his ways irritating and was not at all sure she wanted the fling to turn inot a serious affair or marriage.
But I'm a bit bewildered about Kelly. if they were planning on a wedding at 9 AUgust why wasn't she on the phone to him all the time saying "what about the wedding arrangements?"
Was this marrage on 9 August idea mostly HER keeping on hoping he would marry her? I thought that I'd read somewhere that Kelly had said that "Dodi was seeing Diana on the yacht and then going and making love to HER (Kelly) in between times".. so she must have known that he was seeing Diana... and problaby then she did realise that her relationship with him whatever it was, engagement or affair, was NOT going to progress further, because his father would be insisting that he pay court to the Princess.

[Lady R]

Ive come to the end of this thread about Diana's flatmates becasue I was hoping for some news about the letters that Carolyn Bartholomew auctioned off in September 2017. The media did not cover it in a big way, surprisngly considering their contents and date range, and I wondered if we ever found out how much they went for and who bought them? I imagine they must have gone to a private buyer as the contents didnt get into the papers? The little bits of them I read from the auction house were insightful and lovely.

[Curryong]

I think you're correct, Lady R, and the collection went to a private collector who wished to remain anonymous. I guess perhaps a little paragraph about how much they went for might pop up on the Paul Fraser Collectibles site in the future, as other Royal memorabilia has.