The late princess and heart surgeon Hasnat Khan dated for two years. PHOTO: FILE
Princess Diana won the hearts of millions across the world — including Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. Her friends Jemima Khan and Rosa Monckton shed some light on Diana’s relationship with Hasnat in a Vanity Fair article titled ‘The Grandmother Prince George Never Knew’, in the magazine’s upcoming September issue.
In the article, Jemima says that Diana, who dated the heart surgeon from 1995 and 1997, sought her advice during fundraising visits to Lahore. The relationship was broken off as sources say Hasnat refused to marry her.
Jemima has revealed that her late friend Princess Diana was so “madly in love” with Hasnat that she considered moving to Pakistan to be with him. “She wanted to know how hard it had been for me to adapt to a life in Pakistan,” Jemima told the magazine’s contributing editor Sarah Ellison, according to dailymail.co.uk. “She also went to meet [Hasnat’s] family secretly to discuss the possibility of marriage.”
Diana tried hard to impress Hasnat’s immediate family, specifically his mother, but despite her best efforts, it would appear that this second love would see Diana yet again falling on the wrong side of an influential family. Even though Diana had an aristocratic lineage — had married (and divorced) Prince Charles and was mother of the heir to the British throne — Hasnat’s mother wasn’t ready to approve of her son contemplating marriage with an English woman.
“For a son to marry an English girl is every conservative Pashtun mother’s worst nightmare,” Jemima added. “You send your son to be educated in England and he comes back with an English bride. It’s something they dread.”
Diana’s friend Rosa Monckton tells Vanity Fair that Hasnat was the one who initiated the break-up but her other friends believe that Diana ended it herself as Hasnat was not interested in getting married to her. Although the couple had discussed marriage — friends of Diana told the magazine that she wanted a daughter with Hasnat — the relationship fell apart when she met Dodi Al-Fayed (film producer and son of Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed). Rosa further insisted that Diana’s relationship with Dodi was just to make Hasnat jealous.
In Hasnat’s interview, as part of the Lord Stevens inquiry into Diana’s death, he called marriage “a ridiculous idea” and said, “I told her that the only way I could see us having a vaguely normal life together would be if we went to Pakistan, as the press doesn’t bother you there.”
Diana and Hasnat’s relationship will form the plot of the upcoming film titled Diana. Naomi Watts will play the title role. Vanity Fair revealed that when Hasnat was contacted by film-makers to share how his life with Diana was, he refused to cooperate, remaining very much the man Diana once described him to be, to a friend — “the one person who will never sell me out.”
The September issue of Vanity Fair will be available on news-stands in New York and Los Angeles on August 1.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2013.
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COMMENTS (38)
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@saad: So did Osama and he lived and died here
@optimist: Liar liar...
Its not true. . Diana loved India and wanted to settle there!
.......recently when asked she said ' What was I thinking.......I was sooo confused then '. Lets give the poor lady the rest she deserves.
@Ahmad Khan Looni
I hear you but my point was that the ones settled in Punjab are definitely less conservative, less patriarchal, if not completely, than the ones living in KP. Besides, our family, in particular, is secular and we are not bothered even about religions, let alone sects and castes. So naturally, my knowledge about castes and ethnicities is very limited and based on my own experiences rather than any academic interest. Peace.
@Ammar Aziz: Dear Ammar I agree with you only partially as I have a very good knowledge of the Pashtuns or Pathans settled in Punjab. Take an example of Niazis, the vast majority of whom don't speak Pashto any more but they have this typical Pashtun pride which makes them very different from Maliks who live with them in Mianwali and who are not from the Pashtun origin. To cut a long story short---look at Imran Khan. Don't you think he has some attitude similar to other Pashtuns. The other example is that of Khakwani Pathans of of Multan who still are sticking to the traditional Pashtun custom of not marrying with Punjabis and who never wear dhoti even living in Punjab for for more than one century. I can give some more examples if you are not convinced.
@layered Squirrel: He is in Australia now.
Him? If a person like princess diana was willing to give up everything and move to pakistan for good, for an average lala from lahore; why an average rich spoilt brat like jemima khan could not stay in pakistan for an handsome,accomplished and world known playboy, Imran khan? Looks like jemina is full of stuff that is in her 'large colon', all the way to her brains.
Their romance made headlines back in the 90s; this story is emerging again for some reason in the international media after several years. There's a recent British film called 'Diana' which has focussed on their relationship.
On a side note - just because people are assuming here about the 'conservative family' of Dr. Hasnat, as a reason of their breakup - he is my mother's first cousin. And our family is not conservative at all.
[ I remember when we got to know that 'Hasnat mamoo' was dating Diana - we felt so proud as children :) ]
Although Pashtun families are conservative but my mother's family settled in Punjab many generations ago, like thousands of other non-Pashto speaking Pathans of Punjab who don't have the typical 'Pashtun pride'.
There were some other serious reasons of their breakup - most significantly the pressure Diana was facing at home. Perhaps, I should interview him sometime and bring the real story out.
Looks like Pashtun pride of Hasanat family was the main cause of the break up. So sad.
She was more royal then royality!!!!!!!!!!!
“For a son to marry an English girl is every conservative Pashtun mother’s worst nightmare,” Jemima added. “You send your son to be educated in England and he comes back with an English bride. It’s something they dread.”
I hope this is not a reference to Begum Shaukat Khanum?!
A man of character and strong personality. Qudos!
A royal tale of Honor killing!!
@just_someone: Bingo :)
Its an old story.We all knew that 20 years ago.Whats the point of bringing it up now?
@TightPatloon: Just ensure that you know what you are going to say. it's GDP, not GDB.
@Naseem Haider: Not one of the people who had commented ahead of you is Indian. In any case there is nothing to be angry.At the most one can be amused by this misleading headline. It is not unbelievable that she was attracted to a man of Pakistani descent. Since the man himself did not come back to Pakistan, how do you conclude that she wanted to come to Pakistan? If she. Did, even after her split with the man she could have done so, but she did not.
@TightPatloon: It proves no such thing. The person this wrote this article - Jemima- divorced Imran precisely because she could not continue to live in Pakistan. If Jemima is to believed, Diana was interested in marrying the man. Even so she had concerns about moving to Pakistan and hence had contacted Jemima to figure out how the transition might be - if that was the prerequisite for marrying him. If she was interested in living in Pakistan per se, she could have moved even when the man decided not to marry her, but clearly she did not do that.
I like to add more to this news!! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2381435/Princess-Diana-madly-love-Hasnat-Khan-shares-Jemima-Khan.html
@doom: Arrested Development fan detected!
“the one person who will never sell me out.”,,,,at least someone in pakistan can't be bought with a dinner....you were wrong CIA guy.....lol
so she liked a pakistani,whats the big deal in that
And this is somehow something that Pakistani's should be proud about? Taking pride in individuals personal lives as a badge of honour.
This is very old news. Anyone in know know and social circles in Lahore knew this years ago. Did she mention the veiled threats( from abroad) that were made to the good doctor to deter him from marrying her or was that too much info?
A pure lie...
Why would she want to come live in Pakistan when this guy himself never went back. Now that the heir to the throne is born all wannabe friends of the royalty want their 15 minutes.
@TightPatloon: LOL
... and our Indian commentators are angry.... again !
@TightPatloon: We are already importing a Governor.
@TightPatloon: . "This proves that British people are queing to come to Pakistan......" . My memory is vague, who is that Britt who recently called Lahore as Paris.
He is currently residing in Canada
This proves that British people are queing to come to Pakistan. If we increase GDB by just one percent more, people would be queueing for green passport
"the one person who'll never sell me out" :) he sounds like an interesting personality. does anyone know where this man is now?
ET is so good at copying and pasting what a shame it doesn't acknowledge the original writers!
Him?