When Princess Diana's Former Bodyguard Claimed She Cheated First with His Colleague

Princess Diana and Prince Charles had a turbulent marriage characterized by scandals surrounding infidelity, and the question of who cheated first was a recurring theme. Years after Diana's tragic death the secret was revealed in a new documentary titled King Charles: The Boy Who Walked Alone. The film premiered in May 2023 on Paramount+ and featured interviews with former staffers ahead of King Charles's May 6th coronation. Allan Peters, a former royal protection officer who worked with the family for nine years alleged in the documentary that Princess Diana's bodyguard Barry Mannakee, who passed away in a car accident in 1987, was allegedly the first person with whom she cheated. 

According to Peters, Prince Charles didn't go back to Camilla's bed until he found out Diana had been having an affair. As per The Daily Mail, the former royal protection officer also stated that it was he who informed the then-future crown prince about Princess Diana's fling."The popular perception is that the Prince of Wales was straying throughout his marriage — and that is definitely, unequivocally, not the case," the retired officer said. "The first person who strayed was the princess. He went back to Mrs Parker Bowles after he learned about her affair with Mannakee." Peters, who was abruptly pulled from services to Diana after spending seven years by her side in the 1980s, claimed he noticed the princess acting strangely whenever Mannakee, who also cared after Princes William and Prince Harry when they were toddlers, was around.

He said at first Diana denied the rumors of the affair. "But then she told me exactly what was going on: she was having some sort of relationship with Mannakee."

Peters then revealed that Prince Charles had approached him, perplexed by his wife's actions, and asked him, "What on earth is the matter?" The officer answered: "You've got to talk to her." To which the then Prince of Wales replied, "Well, I've tried all that, and the only thing that seems to be upsetting her is that Barry Mannakee is going back to uniform. And if she's that upset, Barry can stay." Peters went on to say that he would have to quit if that occurred, most likely because he believed it would jeopardize his position. "I think at that point the penny dropped — he was utterly shocked and was clearly very upset."

Upon hearing of Mannakee's tragic death in an accident from Prince Charles while en route to the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, Diana reacted hysterically, visibly scratching her arms and legs to the extent that her gown had to be adjusted upon arrival. Later on, the belief emerged that Mannakee's silence had been ensured through his demise, with Diana suspecting foul play.

Years later, the princess described her relationship with her bodyguard in a series of controversial tape recordings made by her voice coach Peter Settelen: "He was the greatest fellow I ever had.I was only happy when he was around [and] I was quite happy to give it all up just to go off and live with him. Can you believe it? And he kept saying he thought it was a good idea, too."