Princess Diana’s Chief of Staff Alleges That King Charles III's Courtiers Waged a ‘Systematic Campaign’ Against Her
Patrick Jephson was Princess Diana’s Chief of Staff for eight years, and one of her closest confidants while she was in the British Royal family. While Jephson has remained quiet over the years, he’s now alleging that King Charles III‘s former staff smeared Diana’s image in a “systematic campaign” to exploit her mental struggles, per Page Six.
When asked about why he’s coming forward now, Jephson said on an upcoming episode of The Scandal Mongers podcast with Phil Craig, “This is not just some casual gossip, it was a systematic campaign. Okay, it was a long time ago, but … the man they were supporting is now our King and these things should not be buried, they should not be conveniently pushed to one side.” He added, “They happened, in theory they could happen again, and certainly they shouldn’t pass without censure.”
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Jephson addressed the common misconception that Diana was “a bit crazy” and “probably impossible.” Jephson said, “When I hear people follow this line, when I see it not being challenged, I think, well, wait a minute. I knew Princess Diana probably better than almost anybody — certainly professionally — and she was one of the most sane people I ever met.”
He continued, “Considering the life she lived, considering the pressures she was under, she wasn’t just sane, she had a kind of ability to restore sanity to crazy situations. As an eye witness, she could be a bit of a handful sometimes, but she was always extremely aware, sane, grounded, and funny.”
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But he noted what the courtiers would allegedly say about her, all pushing the same story. “If you ask people close to the current royal establishment — if you dare bring up the subject of Princess Diana, which very few people would — then I think that is the answer you would get; that it was a tragic story and that she was essentially troubled mentally, and the implication being that she was not entirely up the job, which essentially then she failed at,” he said.
“She was left isolated, she was left with no acknowledgment of the situation she was in, the stress she was under, the challenges she faced every day to raise her children in these circumstances, plus she had to prepare them for a life of service,” he claimed. “And she thought, ‘How am I going to get my side of this out?’” Jephson added that Diana was “very, very good at her job” and was “no fool,” saying: “A lot of people underestimated her to their cost.”
Diana: A Closely Guarded Secret by Ken Wharfe
John Blake
For years, Inspector Ken Wharfe was one of Princess Diana’s closest confidants. The late Princess of Wales’ former bodyguard offers an intimate account of the famous royal’s life in Diana: A Closely Guarded Secret. The memoir offers new insight into what we thought we knew about Princess Diana, with unfiltered anecdotes and reflections on her life through Wharfe’s eyes.
‘Diana: A Closely Guarded Secret’ by Ken Wharfe
Before you go, click here to see the best photos from Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage.
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