Who Cheated First: King Charles or Princess Diana?
On the heels of a major rumor that Prince William is following in his cheating father's footsteps, we take a look at how King Charles and Princess Diana's relationship was not simple as people may think.
If you're a regular follower of The Crown or royal history through internet news, you're likely to believe that King Charles was the one to blame for the end of his and Princess Diana's marriage, right? However, revelations from a former royal officer indicate that the story may be a little different.
Recently, there is renewed interest in the big question of who cheated on who, between Princess Diana and King Charles. That interest is driven by a next-generation scandal: the quiet town of Norfolk, England, where Kate Middleton and Prince William live part-time in the countryside, is abuzz with a rumor that Prince William cheated on Kate, as King Charles III did Diana.
There is no credible evidence or reliable information to support the claim that Prince William cheated on Kate Middleton with Rose Hanbury, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, Prince William and Kate’s Norfolk neighbor. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have not publicly addressed any such allegations, and yet, with Kate Middleton's disappearance from the public eye, details in Prince Harry's autobiography Spare, and the rumor mill that is small-town England, royal watchers have raised an eyebrow.
But it is not always like father, like son. Keep scrolling to learn who really cheated on who, Princess Diana, or King Charles III.
In 2022, former bodyguard Allan Peters introduced a new version of events that claims that the first to become involved in an extramarital relationship was Diana. Peters presented a retelling of events that, though King Charles and Queen Camilla had been involved prior to him meeting Diana, they did not reunite romantically until after the then-prince learned his wife was having an affair with her bodyguard, Barry Mannakee.
Peters, who worked in the Princess' services for nearly a decade, said in a CNN documentary that "the popular perception is that the Prince of Wales was getting lost throughout the entire marriage—and that is definitely, unequivocally, not the case. The first person to go astray was the Princess, and he saw Mrs. Parker Bowles again after he learned of [Diana's] affair with Mannakee."
Author Jonathan Dimbleby gave a similar account in his 1994 biography of King Charles claiming that he and Parker-Bowles didn't rekindle their relationship until 1986. Mannakee started working for Diana in 1985 and their affair would have started that year, during a trip to Scotland.
Lady Di's alleged affair with her bodyguard ended in tragedy, as, upon discovery of their relationship, Mannakee was transferred to the Diplomatic Protection Squad.
The alleged affair between Princess Diana and her bodyguard, Barry Mannakee, is a subject that has been surrounded by speculation and controversy. It's important to note that the details and nature of their relationship remain largely unconfirmed and disputed.
According to some accounts, Princess Diana and Mannakee developed a close bond while he was serving as her bodyguard. However, their relationship was reportedly discovered, and Mannakee was subsequently transferred from his position to the Diplomatic Protection Squad, effectively ending their professional connection.
Tragically, Mannakee's life came to a premature end when he died in a car accident approximately a year after being transferred. This event fueled further speculation and conspiracy theories, with some suggesting that his death was not merely an accident but potentially linked to his relationship with Princess Diana.
Despite the rumors and allegations surrounding Princess Diana and Mannakee's alleged affair, concrete evidence to support these claims has been scarce. The circumstances surrounding Mannakee's death remain a subject of debate and intrigue, contributing to the enduring fascination with Princess Diana's life and relationships.
Although it is unquestionable that Diana's relationship with Mannakee came first, it is worth mentioning that the princess also had an affair with James Hewitt, her former riding instructor. Due to their shared freckles and reddish hair, there were rumors circulating at the time of Hewitt being Prince Harry’s father. Even King Charles poked fun at the situation, as we learned in the Prince’s recent bombshell memoir, Spare. The king jested, “Who knows if I’m even your real father?,” which Prince Harry found to be “remarkably unfunny.”
