The following article mentions suicide.
Captain James Hewitt became famous and infamous when news broke of his romance with Diana, Princess of Wales.
Before that, however, Hewitt led a fairly discreet life as a military man and riding instructor.
Royal romances often capture the attention of the hoi polloi.
And that interest was brought to a boiling point when Hewitt and Diana’s affair bubbled up.
That scandal only grew as details of their relationship were made public by the press.
And then, Hewitt shared his version of events in books and interviews for years on end.
And there is still a lot of speculation and questions surrounding their romance, which ended in the ’90s.
John and Shirley bonded over their shared love of horse riding.
This was a passion that they handed down to their children.
The twins and their older sister, Syra, learned to ride horseback from a young age.
James described his home life in the Irish countryside as fairly idyllic.
“I was lucky enough to spend my childhood in a happy and close-knit family,” he wrote.
James attended Millfield, a public school in Somerset, where he at first struggled due to his dyslexia.
That was the start of his impressive military career.
He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and became a cavalry officer in the Brigade of Guards.
James found the excitement he was looking for while in the military.
He had his first tour in Germany in 1981.
“I found the work very fulfilling,” James wrote about the posting.
“I went in a lieutenant and left as a captain and second-in-command of a tank squadron.”
Diana was already a royal.
Initially, Hewitt and Diana’s relationship seemed innocent enough.
“Their first conversation felt natural, she said, and it was this that sparked her attraction.
As she put it, they got along famously,” he wrote.
And then, it was off to the races.
They got along easily and soon formed a close bond.
If they’d maintained a platonic friendship, things might have gone very differently.
However, that closeness evolved into an affair that would shape the rest of Hewitt’s life.
From that point, the pair carried out a secret relationship for years.
Diana knew about the affair, and she hoped to break off her relationship with Charles.
Before the wedding, Diana found jewelry that Charles planned to give to Camilla.
“I went upstairs, had lunch with my sisters, who were there.
And I said, ‘I can’t marry him.
I can’t do this.
However, while his career grew, his relationship with Princess Diana struggled due to the distance.
However, Hewitt could not be dissuaded from completing his military duties.
According to Diana’s royal bodyguard, their relationship fizzled when Hewitt went to the Gulf War.
But Hewitt said their romance didn’t reach its breaking point until the affair was leaked to the press.
After the Gulf War finished, he stayed overseas for a few weeks.
From that point, their relationship, which had flown under the radar, was up for public scrutiny.
“I think that was the beginning of the end if you like,” he said.
Anna Pasternak wrote and published “Princess in Love” in 1994.
According to theBBC, he was paid 300,000 for his collaboration on the manuscript.
What’s more, the princess felt betrayed by it.
He soon retired from his military career, and was struggling to find his way.
It was a lot to take on at once for someone who’d only recently become a public figure.
“Then my mother insisted on coming with me.
If she hadn’t, I would probably have shot myself.
So I owe her my life really,” Hewitt said.
Other than that, no one at all.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.
Two years after her death, James Hewitt released a memoir, “Love and War.”
It details his life, career, and romance with the late princess.
The memoir offered an especially intimate look at his time with Diana from his own voice.
He toldPeoplethat he wrote the book to help himself move on.
As he aged, Hewitt republished under new names with additional chapters.
Many royal fans and conspiracy theorists have wondered if Hewitt was the true father of Prince Harry.
Like Harry, Hewitt is red-haired; King Charles III’s hair was brown before it turned white.
In his book “Spare,” Prince Harry recalled that Charles used to make jokes about these rumors.
“Who knows if I’m really the Prince of Wales?
Who knows if I’m even your real father?
Maybe your real father is in Broadmoor, darling boy!”
he remembered his father saying to him in a passage later quoted byHarper’s Bazaar.
Despite all the chatter and speculation, James Hewitt maintains that Charles is the true father of Prince Harry.
He believes the rumor has yet to die down because it still sells papers and gets clicks.
Otherletters from Princess Diana have been releasedover the years, but these particular notes seemed especially intimate.
Rumors of him selling the letters were sparked by Hewitt bringing them to an auction house to be appraised.
However, his rep told The Sun that he never planned to sell or release the letters.
