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Princess Diana had an unexpected political ally during the public breakdown of her marriage.
Royal author Valentine Low has written a new book, “Power and the Palace,” which details the relationship between the British royal family and the government over the years.
In the book, Low describes how former Prime Minister Sir John Major quietly served as a mediator between the “warring Waleses” while also being a “sympathetic listener to Diana at a time when she felt at her most alone.”
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The Prince and Princess of Wales attend a welcome ceremony in Toronto at the beginning of their Canadian tour, in October 1991. Their separation was announced the following year. (Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Major, 82, for comment.
“People don’t realize this about John Major, but he … is a very warm, empathetic man,” Low told Fox News Digital. “He did his best to talk to both Charles and Diana at that time. … He wasn’t going to try and bring them back together again, but he was trying to make sure that the whole crisis passed off without too much unnecessary drama, unnecessary unpleasantness, and that afterward, Diana would find some kind of role.”
Prince Charles and Princess Diana married on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. (Anwar Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
“I think it was very important in John Major’s eyes that Diana found a role after separating from Charles,” Low added.
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According to the book, Alex Allan, Major’s private secretary, said the prime minister had “a number of sessions with both Charles and Diana.” When one royal had a meeting with him, the other would quickly ask if they could have a sit-down too.
Allan noted that while Major was not trying to stop the separation, he was “quite concerned” about Diana, in particular. Lord Butler, who was cabinet secretary at the time, felt that Major offered Diana “a shoulder to cry on.”
The former Prince Charles, seen here in an undated photo attending the Smith’s Lawn Polo Club with Princess Diana, couldn’t give up his longtime love, Camilla Parker Bowles. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“Diana tragically relied on numerous mystics, astrologers and spiritualists as she was so desperately lonely,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital. “Major was soft-spoken and had a personable manner. His approach as broker endeared him to both Charles and Diana, winning the trust of the warring parties, in itself a monumental feat.”
Valentine Low’s book, “Power and the Palace,” is out now. (Headline Press)
“Diana talked to people when she felt relaxed in their company,” British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. “I imagine Major offered Diana a safe space. However, he would have also been concerned about … Diana’s future position. He wanted to ensure a smooth separation process.”
Diana’s private secretary, Patrick Jephson, told Low in his book that Major kept in regular contact with Diana, who yearned for a friend during a dark period in her life.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles visited South Korea in Nov. 1992, for an official royal tour. That visit was dubbed “the glum tour” by the press. Just a few weeks later, then–Prime Minister John Major announced their separation. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“Major would come and visit Diana quite frequently in the run-up to the separation and afterward,” said Jephson.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales, seen here in 1991, became known as “the warring Waleses.” (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“They would have tea, just the two of them. It was great, because always afterward, she was encouraged, she was buoyed up. She would refer to him fondly as ‘the Hon. John.’ … I got the very clear message that he enjoyed those meetings. He was there to be an honest broker, to be a source of practical help if she needed it, and to help her find happiness. Or at least contentment in what she was doing.”
Low told Fox News Digital that Major has always been fiercely protective of his private conversations with Diana. Major never wanted to exploit Diana’s trust, Low pointed out.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana during their honeymoon at Balmoral in Scotland. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“I’d like to say something about what John Major’s private conversations with Diana revealed, because I’m sure they revealed all sorts of absolutely fascinating things,” said Low. “But John Major is one of the most discreet people known to man and has given away no details whatsoever about his conversations with any member of the royal family and never will.”
Portrait of British Prime Minister John Major at a press conference in Beijing, China, circa 1990s. Major was in office from 1990 to 1997. (Forrest Anderson/Getty Images)
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he believed that Major’s concerns for Diana were the real deal.
“I worked behind the scenes with the John Major government,” he explained.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s divorce was finalized in 1996. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“I played a very small part in him becoming prime minister and then was asked to take his official inaugural photographs … The reality is, John Major understood loneliness. … When he saw the emotions in Diana, he reached out to help her. He saw it as his constitutional duty, but also, Major came from a middle-class background, unlike his contemporaries, who came from wealthy backgrounds.”
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Diana, Princess of Wales, is seen here in an undated photo attending a banquet in Munich, Germany, wearing the Spencer Tiara. She became known as “The People’s Princess.” (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“Diana was ‘The People’s Princess,’” Turner pointed out. “Major was very much a man for the people. So intuitively, he offered support. It was in his power to help, but also in his heart too.”
Sir John Major (seen here with Queen Elizabeth II) published his autobiography in 1999. Royal author Valentine Low told Fox News Digital that Major is protective of his past private conversations with Princess Diana. (© Pool Photograph/Corbis via Getty Images)
Still, Fitzwilliams believed Major “undoubtedly misled Parliament” when he announced in 1992 that Charles and Diana had decided to separate but had “no plans to divorce.”
“That was hardly practical,” said Fitzwilliams.
Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a stunning black dress commissioned from Christina Stambolian, attends the Vanity Fair party at the Serpentine Gallery on Nov. 20, 1994, in London, England. The famous black “revenge dress” was a spectacular coup by the princess, worn on the very evening that Prince Charles made his notorious adultery admission on television. (Anwar Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
For four more years, Charles and Diana continued to tear each other apart in public, Esquire reported. Each gave televised tell-alls about their crumbling union. In 1995, Diana famously sat down with the BBC’s “Panorama” and declared, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” She was referring to her estranged husband’s mistress and longtime love, Camilla Parker Bowles.
The outlet noted that this was the last straw for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who were still hoping the pair could work out their differences. The queen finally allowed them to get an official divorce.
The divorce was finalized in 1996.
Princess Diana’s famous “Panorama” interview with Martin Bashir aired on Nov. 20, 1995. (Pool Photograph/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
“Diana essentially reinvented herself,” said Chard. “She recognized her superpower as ‘The People’s Princess’ and threw herself into charity work … and connecting with people.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales sitting alongside Prime Minister John Major and the Duchess of York during the Pavarotti open air concert in Hyde Park on July 30, 1991. (PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
“This led her to being known and loved as the ‘Queen of People’s Hearts.’ She felt free and independent away from the institution and realized how the media helped her tell her story and sway public opinion. She used the press strategically.”
A former royal aide also told Low that Major did his best to make Prince William and Prince Harry feel they were cared for as their parents’ breakup played out on the world stage.
“He was an important, sympathetic, helpful mentoring figure,” said the aide.
Prime Minister John Major announces the separation of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, in the House of Commons on Dec. 9, 1992. (PA Images via Getty Images)
“He is a very genuine person, very natural,” Sir Malcolm Rifkind said, as quoted in Low’s book. “He is a very warm but also very astute person. He is the sort of person that, if you did have something very personal that you wanted to discuss in private, you would feel comfortable doing that.”
Diana’s claim of independence was brief. In 1997, the Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained in a Paris car crash. She was 36.
Princess Diana attended a performance of “Swan Lake” at the Royal Albert Hall in London on June 3, 1997. She died two months later. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Major was in office from 1990 to 1997. Town & Country reported that following Diana’s death, Major was appointed special guardian to her sons, a role suggested by Charles. This made Major responsible for the legal and administrative matters relating to the princes.
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Former Prime Minister John Major arrives at St. George’s Chapel during Garter Day, the 660th Anniversary Service, on June 16, 2008, in Windsor, England. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
In 2005, the queen appointed Major a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Then in 2012, he became chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.
His relationship with the royal family remained close. Over the years, he appeared at events supporting the Trust, often alongside the queen or other members of the royal family, the outlet shared.
Prince Harry, Peter Phillips and former Prime Minister John Major (front) enjoy the atmosphere as they watch the Track Cycling on Day 11 of the London 2012 Olympic Games on Aug. 7, 2012, in London, England. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Major attended both Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011, and Prince Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle in 2018. He also attended the queen’s funeral in 2022 and the more private service afterward.
