Documentary lays bare royal marriage’s woes

Princess of Wales says Charles felt he had a right to a mistress

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ marriage turmoil and sex life is laid bare in a new documentary – with Diana claiming her husband asserted his right to have a “mistress”.

Using controversial video tapes of Diana speaking to her voice coach, the Channel 4 programme chronicles her relationship with those closest to her in her own words. When she confronted Charles about why Camilla Parker Bowles – now his wife the Duchess of Cornwall – was a part of his life, Diana said he replied: “Well, I refuse to be the only Prince of Wales who never had a mistress.”

Diana confessed she found solace with her married police protection officer Barry Mannakee, a relationship she suggested was not sexual but in the tapes she reveals she considered fleeing the Royal Household to be with him.

The Princess claimed the Duke of Edinburgh had told his son he could have an affair with Camilla – if his marriage had failed after a set period.

In the video recordings – aired in a US documentary 13 years ago but never screened in the UK – a relaxed and candid Diana said: “My father-in-law said to my husband ‘if your marriage doesn’t work out, you can always go back to her after five years’.

“I knew something was happening before that but the fifth year I had confirmation.”

Diana described how she approached the Queen, or “the top lady” as she called her, for advice and in the footage she still appeared visibly dissatisfied with the response as she told the story.

She said: “So I went to the top lady, sobbing and I said ‘what do I do. I’m coming to you, what do I do? And she said ‘I don’t know what you should do. Charles is hopeless’. “And that was it and that was help.” The Channel 4 documentary features some but not all of the footage recorded.

Diana: In Her Own Words will be screened on August 6.

Picture: PA. The state of the marriage between Charles and Diana is shown in a candid documentary.