‘I’m sure they are grateful that every day she can still guide, comfort and inspire them along the difficult path they were born to follow,’ he added.
From 1988 to 1996, Patrick Jephson worked first as Princess Diana’s equerry and then her private secretary, witnessing first hand the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles and the couple’s divorce.
In the aftermath of the Princess’s revelatory interview with Martin Bashir on Panorama in November 1995 many of her staff quit their roles, including press secretary, Geoffrey Crawford. Jephson was among the last to go, leaving his role abruptly in January 1996, shortly after the infamous interview aired. In 2021, he formed part of the group who received an apology from the BBC after the national broadcaster concluded its independent inquiry into the dubious methods used to secure the interview.
His book, An Intimate Account by Her Private Secretary, is regarded as one of the most insightful of a number of books written by those previously in Diana’s hire. As someone particularly close to the Princess during one of the most tumultuous periods of her life, Patrick offered insider knowledge of Diana’s emotional state during the lead-up to her separation from Charles, their subsequent divorce, and of course, the Panorama interview. The book sought to explain his own reasons for quitting royal service, without ever trying to exculpate himself from his share of the blame for her decline.
