Diana's Secret Tapes Recorded in March 1997

[anbrida]

Originally Posted by Denville

she wrote not one but 2 books on Diana, she sold stories to the papers, she and Di had a row and Diana cut her off. I wouldn't clal her a friend

Simone simmon gave a clear explanation why she needed to write two books in the court. Because the first one was heavily edited by the publisher, and she couldn't bring out the information she wanted the world to know, for example the telephone call Diana received in Feb, 1997, therefore there was a second book.

Speaking about intention, after Diana's death, there was a lot of one-sided, unfriendly book written about Diana, as a friend, she wanted to write something to defend her late friend, can it be an intention?

About her row with Diana, Simone Sommons actually talked about it in her second book. In June 1997, she called to KP for Diana, but Diana was not around to answer, so Simone chatted a while with Paul Burrell. Later Diana found out their chat, she was angry. She said Simmons should not talk to Paul, because he was only a staff. And several days later Diana didn't answer Simone Sommons' call anymore, and moreover she didn't allow Paul Burrel to speak to Simone either.

Let's talk about Paul Burrel this person. In one way, I think he was in obsession with Diana but would do everything for her. In another way, he was so possessive of Diana he even secretly read Diana's corresponding without permission. He always claimed he knew everything about Diana. I do understand why he would have such confidence to say so. But I doubt Diana would let him know everything.

Let's turn to Simone Sommon. From her two books and her testimony in the inquiry, it seems she knew Diana's anti-landmine activities to a deep level. She claimed she was the person who introduced Diana to this campaign, in late 1996. She gave a great deal of details about this in her books and also in the court. There is physical evidences to support her claim. In the hearing to Diana's inquiry, she presented a Christmas card Diana sent her, which talked about this.

Q. Right. She sent you a Christmas card, is this right, in 1996 that referred to the work she was doing?
A. Yes.
Q. You have very kindly given us a copy of it, but it has this sentence in it. It says:
"Dearest Simone,
Thank you so much for all the lovely Christmas presents you arrived with today. Each one has been hand-picked with great care and attention and I'm enormously touched by your kindness. The knowledge is expanding at alarming speed. Watch out world.
"Lots of love and special thanks from Diana".
A. Yeah.
Q. Did you think that was a reference to research into landmines?
A. It was a reference, yes.

So from the information so far, Diana sounded like a nut to cut off a friend for such a petty reason -- because Simone had gossiped with Paul Burrell. If this is the real reason, no wonder people would say she had BPD (even BPD would be too mild to explain such exotic behavior). However, besides mental illness, there might be more sophistic reason to explain this. One explanation is Diana had some secrets (about her landmine campaign) she didn't want other people know, and she happened to have a very sneaking butler who would tried to peep into her secrets at every chances. Then she would really be worried when she found out Simone and Paul Burrel would sometimes talked to each other accidentally. It seems the most efficient way to prevent such thing happened again, is to excommunicate Simone, at least for a while. In this case, no wonder she wouldn't allow Paul Burrell to talk to Simone either.

Of course this is a speculation, a complicated one. But I think Diana was a very complexed person whose exotic behavior can not be explained simply by "madness".

[Nice Nofret]

Originally Posted by anbrida

....

Of course this is a speculation, a complicated one. But I think Diana was a very complexed person whose exotic behavior can not be explained simply by "madness".

I go with: 'if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and sounds like a duck - within considerable reason it is a duck'

[anbrida]

Originally Posted by Nice Nofret

I go with: 'if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and sounds like a duck - within considerable reason it is a duck'

That depends on the number of dimensions a person can see. A two dimensional person can never see a cube. To them a cube looks like a square, sounds like a square, so it must be a square. But a cube is not a square.

[Denville]

I really don't know what your points are.. Simmons wrote books on Diana for money. she also sold stories to the papers when Di was alive.
As I recall, she admitted that Di had cut her out because they had a dsipute about payment, Di gave her a present when she sent Diana a bill for her services.. and she watned to be paid in money, not a gift.. So Diana cut her off.
She also IMO appallingly made comments about Charles Spencer..
As for Burrell I'm afraid that he too has been disloyal to Diana, I think in fairness to him, he was hurt by the Spencers dropping him from the Diana Memorial fund but it does not excuse his taking her things or his books about her.

[anbrida]

I think your memory went wrong. Simone Simmons herself gave a clear description about her row with Diana in her book "Diana: the last words". She cut her off because she spoke to Paul Burrell in private.

What made the grief even harder to bear was that Diana and I had not spoken during the weeks before. We had had our tiffs before but this one was very petty. I had been to heal a mutual acquaintance and had telephoned Kensington Palace afterwards. Diana wasn't there and I spoke to Paul Burrell, just to leave a message asking Diana to call me back. He told me that I sounded tired. I said `No more than usual,' but then I made the mistake of telling him whom I had been treating.

Diana called the moment she got home. She was in a fury and asked why I had gossiped with Burrell. I told her I hadn't, that Burrell was exaggerating and that all I had told him was whom I had been healing. She retorted, `You shouldn't have been speaking to him at all--he's not a friend, he's a member of staff'. We spoke several times on the telephone in the following days, but the row carried on.

[anbrida]

About Simone Simmons sold stories to the press about Diana. I think you got this information from Tina Brown's book. Well I don't count Tina Brown as a reliable sources. She had been caught making up stories in her book several times. But I knew Simone Simmons had talked to the press about Diana's landmine campaign around Jan 1997. Well I am not sure whether it was her own idea or Diana's idea. You know Diana liked to use the press to highlight her charity.

About her writing books about Diana after her death. There is not only one dimension in our worlds. Money may be one purpose, but mean while she could use her books to let the world know more about her friend. A book's effect is definitely better than leaving a comment on Amazon, right?

[Denville]

I wouldn't regard Simmons as a responsible source. as I recall, Bill Deedes and others got Diana interested in landmines...and SImmons was a friend of Diana's why did she write a load of trivila tittle tattle about her and insinuate thngs about Diana''s brother?
Its some time since I read the book, because I felt repelled by it.. but my recollection is of her and Diana fallig out over the issue of payment.. or at least having a dispute over it. She sent Diana a bill for her services (whatever they were) and Diana was astonished to get a bill from someone she thought was a friend.. and instead of paying the bill, sent Simmons some gift like a music player. Simmons Unless I'm greatly mistaken said that she already had one and that as her flat was tiny she had no use for another one. I'm pretty sure that this story came from SS's book, as I can't think that I could have imagined such a silly scenario. And as I recall Simmons admitted that she and Diana had not made up their quarrel so her claims to be a "friend" seem to be dubious to me. She and D only knew each other a short time, they quarrelled and Simmons was cut out by Diana.. and I'm sure that Di would be upset appalled that yet another "friend" had written a book about her for money.
Indeed on re reading the bit you've quoted which describes Di's row with SS over Burrell, if that's true, then Diana comes across as losing the plot very badly...

[anbrida]

I read the instance you mentioned about their row on money in Simone's book too. I don't think you made up the story. But the event happened long before. It was not because of that Diana excommunicated Simone.

Talk about who introduced Diana into the Landmine Campaign. I think I have read all Lord Bill Deedes' articles about Diana. I don't remember he claimed himself to be the one introduce her in that campaign. Moreover, I don't think Lord Bill Deedes, as experienced as he was, would take the initiative to drag Diana, who was till a member of the Royal Family after divorce, into such a political field. Through out her whole Landmine campaign, Diana had been accused meddling political things by a bunch of political figures, until two days before her accident.

In her book "Diana: the chronicle" Tina Brown wrote in a way that as if it was Mike Whitlam, the Director General of British Red Cross, who recruited Diana into this campaign. I didn't know where she got this information -- Tina didn't provide any reference to this story. But Mike Whitlam himself said the otherwise. He wrote an article about Diana shortly after her death which showed it was Diana who took the initiative. Here is a quote

The Princess called me out of the blue to have a meeting to talk about landmines. She had received quite a lot of information about landmines from the Red Cross and other organizations and she wanted to know whether the situation was a read tragedy or not. Of course, I explained the issue fully and after one hour she was convinced that this was something she could help with and make a real contribution to. The Angola trip was part of the program agreed. [1]

Plus, the trip to Angola was on Jan 15, 1997. But as early as around the christmas time of 1996, Diana had already communicated with Simmons about Landmine, as showed by her christmas card to Simmons ( ''The knowledge is expanding at alarming speed. Watch out world''). Clearly Simmons was among the first knowing about Diana's anti-landmine involvement. I found no reason not to believe her.

Although Simone Simmons was a friend, and she had publicly defended Diana several times. But it seems to me she is not a kind of person who would modify or hide facts in order to glorify Diana.

On one hand she would leave comments on Amazon to defend her friends. And when Penny Junor's book ``Chales: Victim or Villian'' was publish (1998), Simone Simmons immediately came out to dispute the book's claim that Diana had made life-threating calls to Camilla.

Simone Simmons, a close friend of Diana, said: "There is no way Diana would have made threats to Camilla. I'd have known. It's just not her style. She might try to kill herself but not anyone else. ''

On the other hand, in her second book, Simone Simmons claimed that Diana had an affair and sex with JFK junior in 1995 (at that time he was single). I am not surprised if this was true. Diana was not a traditional lady. That is why many people esteem her not, but this doesn't mean she didn't genuine care people's pright and suffering. Also definitely Simone Simmons was not a decent person by disclosing such secrets. It was reported that the JFK junior story had drove Prince William into tears. But to some degree, it manifests she was a frank people, who told thing as it was.

Some people believed Simone Simmons made up the story about the call Diana received in Feb 1997, which warned Diana to stay away from the landmine issue. Well if she really made up that story, she didn't need to tell the particular name of the caller, Nichola Soames, a person who is still alive to dispute her. She could easily pick a dead person's name, so that no one can dispute her claim at all. And a lot of subsequence evidences did show that Diana had concerns over her life in 1997. (Of course, that doesn't mean there is any conspiracy about her death, coincidence can happen!!)

References:
[1] Mike Whitlam, Director General The British Red Cross, "Diana, Princess of Wales the world's most effective volunteer", Forester Lifetime Magazine, autumn issue, 1997.

[Mermaid1962]

Patrick Jephson, Diana's Private Secretary, called Simmons' claim about the JFK affair "disgraceful." This is a quote from an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live":

"JEPHSON: I go with the others on this. The one particular example that I knew from my experience was the JFK, junior story. There is no truth in the allegation that Simone Simmons makes. I think it is disgraceful that she made it. I set up the meeting. I was present throughout it and that she should make up a story like that from such an innocent event is -- I think it's disgraceful."

The quote is taken from near the end of this transcript: CNN.com - Transcripts

Originally Posted by anbrida

On the other hand, in her second book, Simone Simmons claimed that Diana had an affair and sex with JFK junior in 1995 (at that time he was single). I am not surprised if this was true. Diana was not a traditional lady. That is why many people esteem her not, but this doesn't mean she didn't genuine care people's pright and suffering. Also definitely Simone Simmons was not a decent person by disclosing such secrets. It was reported that the JFK junior story had drove Prince William into tears. But to some degree, it manifests she was a frank people, who told thing as it was.

[Denville]

I don't thnk that Jephson can take any high moral ground, mermaid but I do feel that in this instance he's right. As I recall SS first put it out as Diana finding JFK attractive and then in the next book she claimed there was a fling.. clearly lying to make the story more exciting..

[Curryong]

There is plenty to be foul about where Charles Spencer is concerned. He is a rather revolting individual.

[anbrida]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

Patrick Jephson, Diana's Private Secretary, called Simmons' claim about the JFK affair "disgraceful." This is a quote from an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live":

"JEPHSON: I go with the others on this. The one particular example that I knew from my experience was the JFK, junior story. There is no truth in the allegation that Simone Simmons makes. I think it is disgraceful that she made it. I set up the meeting. I was present throughout it and that she should make up a story like that from such an innocent event is -- I think it's disgraceful."

The quote is taken from near the end of this transcript: CNN.com - Transcripts

Simone Simmons didn't claim that she witnessed the event. She just said Diana told her about this, which Simone Simmons thought was a joke.

About the fling with JFK jr, there is really too little information to speculate here. It couldn't be proved neither to be disproved. As I remembered the only time Diana mentioned JFK jr. was in the lunch with Tina Brown (june 1997 Newyork), in which Diana did show a lot of admiration towards JFK jr.

However in her second book, Simone Simmons actually said she didn't believe Diana had sex with Dodi, because "It's very out of character for Diana to have had a physical relationship with someone with a habit". Of course she didn't had first hand information on this. The only supportive evidence is, till the last day, Dodi still referred Diana as "my friend" in talk with other people. And on the yacht, Dodi's butler said they would retreat to their own rooms after saying "good night".

[anbrida]

About Simone Simmon's closeness with Diana. It was Paul Burrell who billed Simone Simmons a very close friend to Diana after his trial.

Paul has refused to be personally drawn over the contents of the notes, but yesterday he moved to confirm Simone's close friendship with Diana.

Saying the two could often spend up to eight hours a day chatting on the phone, he declared: "Simone was the princess's friend and confidante who was entrusted with her personal documentation." [1]

Reference
[1] "Paul Burrell Revelations: I know the pain Philip's letters caused Diana; WORLD EXCLUSIVE: BUTLER RAPS INSULTS TO PRINCESS.", the mirror, 11 Nov 2002.

[Jacknch]

Please note that posts relating to Charles Spencer have been deleted/edited - we have a separate thread to discuss the Spencer family here: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums...tion-2919.html

[Denville]

but the friendship did not last, idd it? And if she fell out iwht Simmons because SS talking to Paul Burrel, it realy makes her sound crazy

[anbrida]

Originally Posted by Denville

but the friendship did not last, idd it? And if she fell out iwht Simmons because SS talking to Paul Burrel, it realy makes her sound crazy

Putting this event in the contexts of the whole background, I see a very practical reason for her to stop Simmons to talk to her other friends, especially Paul Burrell.

[Mermaid1962]

I can see your point, Anbrida, particularly since she also didn't trust Paul Burrell. If she thought that he was looking through her mail and so on, she wouldn't have wanted him talking to anyone.

[Osipi]

In the last couple of years she grew quite paranoid and found it hard to totally trust anyone. I think after the Panorama interview was the starting point as she realized that giving that interview was a very, very bad move on her part.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

I can see your point, Anbrida, particularly since she also didn't trust Paul Burrell. If she thought that he was looking through her mail and so on, she wouldn't have wanted him talking to anyone.

If she didn't trust him why didn't she fire him? And if she didn't trust him why was he almost the only non family person to go tot her interment? I think that Diana comes across as pretty crazy and unpleasantly so, if she was raging at Simmons for talking to one of her own staff..

[Mermaid1962]

I'm referring to what has been said by people who knew Diana well. Paul Burrell was the one who attended to Diana in Paris, after her death, and he'd been around William and Harry since they were children. For those reasons, it was natural for him to have been at her internment. The Spencers didn't know that he was going to write books about her and give talks and interviews. That was in the future.

Originally Posted by Denville

If she didn't trust him why didn't she fire him? And if she didn't trust him why was he almost the only non family person to go tot her interment? I think that Diana comes across as pretty crazy and unpleasantly so, if she was raging at Simmons for talking to one of her own staff..