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News International, owners of the Sunday Times, was told by one of Morton’s sources
that she had indeed talked to Andrew Morton ‘and had done so at the instigation of the
Princess, who had told her to hide nothing because she wanted “to end the fairy-tale”’.
Diana herself tipped off a photographer about her visit to Carolyn Bartholomew, her old
flatmate at Coleherne Court and one of Morton’s principal sources, a visit which was
intended to underline her seal of approval of what Carolyn Bartholomew had done. All
this gave the lie to the assurances given by Robert Fellowes (who as Diana’s brother-inlaw
was in a particularly awkward position) to the head of the Press Complaints
Commission, Lord McGregor, and to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Robin Butler, that the
Princess of Wales had not authorized the book and had given him her word that she had
not. Sir Robert, accompanying Elizabeth on a state visit to Paris at the time, was forced
into humiliating apologies and offered his resignation, which was refused. Several years
later it was revealed that Diana herself had given taped interviews to Morton, via an
intermediary, James Colthurst.
The publication of the Morton book ended any sympathy Elizabeth might have had for
Diana. She had been aware of her daughter-in-law’s difficulties and had had several
private talks with her over the past years. She herself had often found her son’s
behaviour unsatisfactory. Philip had also been sympathetic to Diana as he had to Sarah
in his own way. Because of his own position he had an insight into their problems on
marrying into the royal family and he was always responsive to pretty women. As
Ronald Ferguson had written insinuatingly, even when the Wyatt photographs had
surfaced the Duke’s response had not been hostile but rather, ‘There, but for the grace of
God, go I.’ At times when Diana, in the throes of her psychological difficulties, had fits
of panic about going into a room to meet a crowd of strangers, Philip had jollied her
along, seizing her round the waist and whirling her in. Now Diana had ‘gone public’ in a
way which the royal family found impossible to forgive. The whole royal myth which
Elizabeth had worked so hard to build up had started to unravel because of the ‘me’
impulses of two young women who had voluntarily entered the circle and enjoyed all its
privileges and then turned on the system when they found that it did not suit them.
Neither of them seemed to have given a moment’s thought to the institution which had
made them rich and celebrated, nor to the feelings of the millions of people who had
revered it and found these revelations deeply painful and indeed shocking.
Elizabeth went on as usual, publicly serene but privately both furious and deeply
troubled. The traditional ceremony for the celebration of her official birthday, the
Trooping the Colour, went ahead with the Princess of Wales part of the family party on
the Palace balcony for the RAF fly-past as if nothing had happened. Privately, however,
both Elizabeth and Philip, who had been at pains not to take sides, rallied to Charles,
and Philip wrote him a ‘long and sympathetic letter’ praising his ‘saint-like fortitude’. At
Royal Ascot the following week, Philip for the first time showed hostility towards Diana,
refusing either to look at her or speak to her. In private, Elizabeth and her son discussed
for the first time whether he should take the initiative and separate from his wife. He
consulted Lord Goodman, a celebrated lawyer and ‘fixer’, about the implications of such