James Hewitt, a name perhaps unfamiliar to American audiences, stands at the nexus of one of the British monarchy’s most significant scandals of the late 20th century. His military career and subsequent entanglement with Princess Diana thrust him into the public eye, sparking decades of speculation and public fascination. This article delves into the life of James Hewitt, exploring his military background, his controversial affair with Princess Diana, and the enduring rumors surrounding Prince Harry’s paternity.
A Career in the Ranks
Born in 1958 into a family steeped in military tradition, James Hewitt followed in the footsteps of his father, a British Navy officer. After attending Millfield School, Hewitt embraced his family’s legacy by joining the Brigade of Guards, a distinguished unit within the British Army. His military service saw him command 14 Challenger tanks during the Gulf War as part of Operation Desert Storm.
The pivotal moment that propelled Hewitt into widespread public recognition occurred in 1986. He met Princess Diana at a soirée hosted by her lady-in-waiting, Hazel West. According to Princess Diana’s royal protection officer, Ken Wharfe, their initial encounter was marked by an effortless connection. Wharfe’s book, Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, recounts that Diana was immediately drawn to Hewitt, noting that their first conversation felt “natural.” He also offered to help Diana overcome her fear of horses, a skill he possessed as a riding instructor, thus initiating their professional relationship.
Cavalry officer James Hewitt became Princess Diana’s riding instructor in 1986.
An Affair with Princess Diana
The professional relationship between James Hewitt and Princess Diana soon evolved into a romantic affair that spanned several years. By this time, Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles was widely known to be strained, with Charles reportedly involved with his former girlfriend, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Wharfe suggested that this marital discord may have contributed to Diana’s openness to an affair with Hewitt.
Wharfe described Hewitt as a “natural womaniser” who provided Diana with the “attention and affection she relished, and then the passion she yearned for.” The pair often met at a secluded cottage in Devon owned by Hewitt’s mother. In a 2017 interview on the Australian television program Sunday Night, Hewitt characterized their relationship as more low-key, recalling simple evenings of cooking, washing dishes, and shared laughter.
The affair faced its first major challenge when Hewitt was assigned a tank squadron abroad during the late 1980s. Diana reportedly felt betrayed by his choice of career over their relationship and initially attempted to prevent his deployment. However, when Hewitt remained committed to his military duties, the affair gradually waned. Although Diana maintained contact with Hewitt after his 1990 deployment to Saudi Arabia, their romantic involvement had effectively concluded.
Hewitt famously had a years-long affair with Princess Diana during her marriage to Prince Charles.
Revelations and Public Scrutiny
Hewitt’s life took a dramatic turn in 1994, shortly after his retirement from the armed forces. He collaborated with author Anna Pasternak on the book Princess in Love, which purported to expose his five-year extramarital affair with Diana between 1986 and 1991. Despite Diana and Prince Charles’s formal separation in 1992, the book’s revelations ignited a significant scandal, propelling it to the top of the bestseller lists.
In 1995, a year before the official finalization of Charles and Diana’s divorce, Princess Diana publicly confirmed the affair in her historic interview with BBC’s Panorama. Reflecting on Hewitt’s involvement in the book’s publication, she stated, “Yes, I adored him. Yes, I was in love with him. But I was very let down.”
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Hewitt’s Life Post-Diana
Following Princess Diana’s tragic death in 1997, James Hewitt continued to be a figure of public interest, with intermittent revelations about their affair. In 1999, he published Love and War, a memoir further detailing their relationship. Over the subsequent decades, he has given numerous interviews on the subject.
Since Diana’s death, Hewitt has been involved in a variety of business ventures and appeared several times on reality television.
Hewitt has faced accusations of attempting to sell over 60 love letters written to him by Diana during his Gulf War service. Notably, a 1999 sting operation by the News of the World suggested a price of £10 million for these mementos. However, the letters have never been publicly disclosed, and in a 2009 interview with The Telegraph, Hewitt expressed his intention to keep them permanently.
After retiring from the military in the mid-1990s, Hewitt ventured into business, opening a golf driving range. He also made several appearances on reality television shows, including a stint on X Factor and a victory in the Big Brother-esque competition Back to Reality in 2004. In 2009, he relocated to Marbella, Spain, to open The Polo House bar, which later closed in 2013. Hewitt was hospitalized following a heart attack in 2017 but has since recovered.
The Persistent Rumor of Paternity
The affair between Hewitt and Diana has fueled persistent speculation that Hewitt might be Prince Harry’s biological father. This rumor is often attributed to a perceived resemblance, particularly the shared red hair. Hewitt has consistently denied these claims.
Ken Wharfe, in his book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, addresses the paternity question by highlighting the timeline: “A simple comparison of dates proves it is impossible for Hewitt to be Harry’s father. … Harry was born on September 15, 1984, which means he was conceived around Christmas 1983… Diana did not meet James Hewitt until the summer of 1986.”
Prince Harry himself addressed these rumors in his memoir, Spare. He recounts King Charles’s past jokes about his parentage, stating, “Pa liked telling stories, and this was one of the best in his repertoire. He’d always end with a burst of philosophizing … Who knows if I’m really the Prince of Wales? Who knows if I’m even your real father?“. Harry notes that while his father found the joke amusing, it was “remarkably unfunny” given the persistent rumors. He emphasizes that his mother did not meet Major Hewitt until long after his birth.
In a witness statement for his 2023 case against Mirror Group Newspapers, Prince Harry detailed the impact of such stories. He referred to a December 2002 article suggesting a “Plot to rob the DNA of Harry.” Harry wrote, “Numerous newspapers had reported a rumour that my biological father was James Hewitt, a man my mother had a relationship with after I was born. At the time of this article and others similar to it, I wasn’t actually aware that my mother hadn’t met Major Hewitt until after I was born.” He further explained that learning this timeline around 2014 brought clarity, but at 18, having lost his mother six years prior, such stories felt “very damaging and very real to me. They were hurtful, mean and cruel.” He questioned the motives behind these publications, wondering if they aimed to sow public doubt and potentially lead to his ousting from the Royal Family.
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