Exactly two decades ago, the world was shaken by the tragic death of Princess Diana in a car accident in Paris. Her passing left a void that seemed impossible to fill. The headlines at the time focused on her relationship with Dodi Al-Fayed, the charismatic heir to the Harrods fortune. But according to her butler, Phil Burrell, the man who truly captured Diana's heart might have been someone else—Hasnat Khan, a heart surgeon who provided her with the quiet, normal life she so desperately craved.
Who Was Hasnat Khan, the Man Diana Called "Mr. Wonderful"?
Hasnat Khan wasn’t the typical suitor for a princess. He wasn’t wealthy, sporty, or conventionally handsome. In fact, Burrell described him as an unlikely candidate for Diana’s affections. Yet, the princess referred to him affectionately as “Mr. Wonderful.” Their relationship blossomed over two years, offering Diana a retreat from the chaos of her highly publicized life. But tragically, their love story came to an end in June 1997, just two months before her untimely death. Many speculate that Diana’s trip to Paris with Dodi was a deliberate attempt to send a message to Hasnat, a final plea for his attention and commitment.
The Allure of Normalcy
Burrell described Khan as someone who offered Diana something she desperately needed: normalcy. In a world where her every move was scrutinized, Khan provided a refuge. He wasn’t a public figure, which meant their relationship could exist away from the prying eyes of the media. After her tumultuous divorce from Prince Charles, this sense of normalcy was invaluable. As Burrell bluntly put it, “He’s not sporty, he’s not handsome, he’s not wealthy. So what is it?” The answer, it seems, was love in its purest form.
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Why Did Their Relationship End?
Despite their deep affection for one another, Diana and Hasnat’s relationship couldn’t withstand the pressures of her public life. While they often discussed marriage, the reality of going public proved too much for Khan. Tina Brown, in The Last 100 Days of Diana, explained, “Hasnat was very much in love with Diana, but he had reached the end of his tether. Diana kept pushing him to go public, to declare their relationship, and he wouldn’t.” Ultimately, Diana gave him an ultimatum: either they go public, or their relationship would end. It was a decision that Khan couldn’t bring himself to make.
Diana (left) and Hasnat (right).
Years later, Hasnat admitted that he couldn’t handle the public scrutiny. “I think she wanted to be with someone who was happy to be seen with her in public,” he reflected. “She could do that with Dodi. I think that Diana finally realized that Dodi could give her all the things I could not.” It’s a poignant reminder of how love, even the deepest kind, can be tested by external pressures. One can only imagine how different things might have been if Diana and Hasnat had stayed together.
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