AS WILLIAM AND KATE prepare to plight their troth and swear to be faithful, spare a thought for James Hewitt, whose five-year fling with William’s mum, Diana Princess of Wales, was the talk of the scandal-sheets.
Discretion was not the greater part of valour in cavalry officer Hewitt’s case – he was more than happy to boast about his royal conquest at post-polo social events. In an interview with Panorama in 1995, Diana admitted she’d been having an affair with Hewitt, but while the late princess was cast as the lonely wife trapped in a loveless marriage, Hewitt was seen as the cad and the bounder who had seduced the people’s princess for his own social gain.
But he really went down in public regard when he tried to sell the 60 perfume-scented love letters sent to him by his princess paramour for a reported sum of £10 million. He also co-wrote a book with Anna Pasternak, Princess in Love, which garnered him even more vilification. And then there were the rumours that he was the father of Prince Harry. It wasn't long before Hewitt became something of a British hate figure.
All the tabloids love a rogue, and Hewitt, ever the roué, found his every dalliance closely scrutinised by the red-tops. In 2007, he upped polo sticks and moved to Marbella, where he opened a bar and restaurant, Polo House.
“London became like living in a goldfish bowl,” he told the Telegraph. “I’m no longer wanted in England. I could never walk down Oxford Street again.”
Polo House, which he part-financed, has been doing pretty well, and is one of the more popular spots on the Costa Del Sol, frequented by toffs and well-off exiles – regulars have included Mark Thatcher and Francis Rossi from Status Quo. For Hewitt, Polo House provides a home away from home, with its colonial design and pictures of horses on the walls.
As the royal wedding approaches, however, Hewitt’s thoughts turn back to England and the affair that changed his life. He insists he’ll never again attempt to sell the love letters, but he is planning to hold a royal wedding party at Polo House on the big day.
Kevin Courtney
