Princess Diana's Former Lover Speaks Out on Harry and William "Rift" in Rare Interview

James Hewitt shared his thoughts on how Diana would've handled the situation.

A headshot of James Hewitt wearing a striped shirt and smiling next to a photo of Prince William and Prince Harry standing next to each other looking solemn at Queen Elizabeth's funeral
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Diana's former lover James Hewitt has kept a low profile ever since his affair with the princess rocked the monarch in the '90s—but on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the former British calvary officer gave a candid interview to Good Morning Britain. During the surprising chat, Hewitt, 66, shared how Diana might have handled the ongoing tension between Prince William and Prince Harry.

Hewitt—whose five-year-long relationship with the princess began with innocent riding lessons before galloping into headline-making territory—rarely discusses his royal connection these days. But during his Good Morning Britain interview (via the Sun), he was asked how Diana would've reacted to her sons' fallout.

"I think any mother would be worried and concerned about such a rift, as you put it, and she'd do her best to try and get them together," Hewitt replied when asked if he felt Diana could've worked to "make a rapprochement possible."

The polo player made headlines when Princess Diana admitted to their affair during a 1995 BBC Panorama interview. "Yes, I adored him. Yes, I was in love with him," she told interviewer Martin Bashir of the calvary officer.

Prince Charles and James Hewitt sitting on horses with their polo mallets raised while playing a polo match

Hewitt played against Prince Charles during a 1991 polo match.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

When discussing the controversial interview, Hewitt—who also made comments about Diana's involvement with Panorama in late 2024— admitted, “It was a stitch up job."

In 2021, Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, launched an independent investigation over the TV special. He accused Bashir of using unethical methods to persuade Diana to participate in the interview—and it was later found that the TV personality had forged documents and misrepresented information to both Diana and Spencer ahead of the taping.

Hewitt called Bashir's actions "absolutely appalling" on Good Morning Britain, continuing that the former BBC journalist "lied to her."

“As I've said, I hate bullies and bullying and arrogant people and I think it's appalling," he continued. Hewitt added that he last spoke to Diana "just after" the Panorama program aired, but their conversation was "distant."

These days, Hewitt is focusing his life on humanitarian aid, and his appearance on Good Morning Britain was to promote Operation Safedrop, an organization he works with to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Sharing that Diana's admissions on Panorama “did create problems," Hewitt added he wants to “move on from that.”

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Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.