When Princess Diana appeared on BBC current affairs show Panorama and declared, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” the watching world was stunned. Everyone, that is, except writer Andrew Morton.
It was 20 November 1995. Three years prior, the biographer had brought out his bombshell book Diana: Her True Story. It caused a sensation, but until Diana repeated many of the book’s revelations on air, he’d been accused of making it up.
“I was thrilled because Panorama totally endorsed the contents of my book, which had been rubbished – people didn’t want to believe it,” Andrew tells Woman’s Day from his home in California.
“So it transformed me into being the grand old man of royal biography.”
The interview that shocked the world
It took decades for it to be revealed how journalist Martin Bashir secured the interview, faking documents to win the trust of Diana’s brother Charles Spencer, and 30 years on, Andrew remembers being bewildered about how Bashir got the scoop.
“There was bafflement how Martin had swooped in to get an interview Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, David Frost and others had pitched for,” he says.
“It was only later that I was told he’d scared her half to death with various lurid stories and she believed them.”
A book that stands the test of times
Could he ever have predicted his book would still be in discussion?
“I knew it was going to be a bestseller, but I didn’t think it was going to go on for 33 years,” he admits.
“I didn’t for a second think Diana would predecease me.”
Diana, who was so honest about her emotions, would be proud how her sons turned out, Andrew, 72, says.
“She would be absolutely thrilled. She’d be very heartened that William is so open with his emotions and that her sons have undertaken to promote difficult issues, such as homelessness and mental health.”
Diana’s take on Harry and Meghan
She would also approve of Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex’s move to Montecito, he insists.
“Diana herself was thinking about moving to California. She liked America – she found it a free and open country – so she wouldn’t have been totally despondent about Harry’s direction. “But she would be saddened by the brothers’ estrangement. As she said to me, Harry was William’s wingman and she’d had two boys for a reason, so Harry would be William’s right-hand man when he came to the throne.”
The King’s lost wingman
But it’s not just William who’s lost his wingman – the King has also had to strip his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles.
The author explains, “Andrew should have been Charles’ right-hand man, but events changed that. He has support from William, Edward and Anne, but not from the man who should have been at his side.”
Contrasting desires within the family
It’s ironic, he adds, that Harry – “who was a popular figure and who’s still very charismatic with the crowds – was desperate to move away from the royal family, while Andrew was desperate to stay in.”
Meanwhile, biographer Andrew predicts the spotlight will only get brighter on Harry and his family.
“I don’t think people have woken up to the idea that Lilibet is an American princess born on American soil,” he notes.
“She will be a kind of modern-day Grace Kelly, so for the next generation of royal watchers, there will be plenty to chew on.”
And with Meghan as a mum, it’s likely the former Suits actress will encourage her daughter to follow in her – and Grace’s – footsteps. Meanwhile, though Andrew thinks a reconciliation between Harry and his family may happen, he doesn’t think the prince will ever move home.
“Quite frankly, Montecito is a little garden of Eden,” he says.
“It’s idyllic, especially for an outdoorsy couple. Life in Britain for Harry and Meghan is rapidly in the rear-view mirror.”
Andrew – whose multiple royal biographies include Meghan: A Hollywood Princess and new book Winston And The Windsors – adds, “It’s always the royal women who get the blame. Wallis Simpson got the blame for the abdication and the same with Meghan – she got the kick up the backside.”
