New Book Reveals Princess Diana's Secret Royal Crush — and the Valentine Letter She Sent at 16
Since Andrew was much closer in age to Diana than Charles was, people often wondered, did the Princess and Andrew actually get along?
For a family that is constantly talked about, the British royals fiercely guard their privacy. Yet, despite decades in the spotlight, secrets still manage to slip through the cracks—often thanks to royal insiders who leave us completely stunned. Case in point: journalist Catherine Mayer recently dropped a massive bombshell, revealing an alleged fascination Princess Diana had with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor that absolutely nobody saw coming.
After her book, Charles: The Heart of a King, where she shared several insights about the monarch, she is back with several unknown facts in her new release, Windsor with Divide & Rule. This project explores the lives of the eight royal women, and talking about Diana's life in her book, she stated, “I ended up feeling incredibly sorry for Diana," adding how the Princess and King Charles had “conflicting expectations” from their marriage. “I understand how she made the mistake of thinking she could find happiness within the institution. I think you basically need your head examined to want to be a part of it… The really good thing that Kate and William have done is they’ve tried to give their children some taste of normality," she explained.
The real surprise, though, was the revelation that the Princess allegedly had fantasies about the King's younger brother, Andrew—a man she was later known to hate, as highlighted by the Telegraph. Unlike the significant age gap between Diana and Charles, Andrew was much closer to her in age. Around the age of 15 or 16, her crush on him was strong enough that she even sent him an anonymous Valentine’s Day card. Discussing the unexpected discovery, Mayer admitted, “I was quite startled when I found that out. That was new news.”
However, that was just a phase for Diana, who ultimately fell in love with Charles and eventually married him; unfortunately, her life was far from a fairytale. “People just wanted a piece of her, like she was a wedding cake; they wanted to gobble her up bite by bite, so she said, ‘Look, I’ve got to go to the loo. Come with me, and we’ll have a chat.’ We just sat in the bathroom for about an hour. She wanted to escape. She needed to escape," noted the writer, elaborating on Diana's struggles.
Further in her book, Mayer cautiously explores speculation about fidelity within the royal family. She suggests Prince Philip likely had affairs, citing his close relationships with people like Penny Romsey, while considering it less likely that Queen Elizabeth II was unfaithful. However, Mayer argues that emotional intimacy can exist beyond conventional definitions of affairs, noting the Queen’s deep bond with Lord Porchester (“Porchie”), who may have fulfilled the emotional needs that Prince Philip could not, despite their enduring love.
