Spain’s former king Juan Carlos has made a shocking claim in a new memoir, describing Princess Diana as “cold” and “distant, except in the presence of paparazzi.”
The disgraced monarch, known for a long history of alleged affairs, also denied ever having a relationship with Diana in his book, Reconciliation, set to be released next week.
Juan Carlos’s comments revisit decades-old speculation about Diana’s interactions with the Spanish royal family. She, Prince Charles, and their children William and Harry stayed at the Marivent Palace in Mallorca four times during the 1980s, fueling rumors about the former king’s behavior.
But sources say Diana was reportedly uncomfortable around him. Biographer Andrew Morton described her as finding Juan Carlos “a very libidinous man” and recalled her telling friends, “I felt uncomfortable being left alone with him in a room, although I can assure you that nothing happened.”
The former king’s reputation as a notorious womanizer is legendary. In fact, Spain’s secret service allegedly once injected him with female hormones and testosterone inhibitors to curb his libido, reportedly because it was considered “a problem for the state.” Former police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo made the revelation during a 2024 parliamentary hearing.
Juan Carlos’s highly publicized relationship with businesswoman Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was another scandal that contributed to his abdication in 2014.
Meanwhile, Diana herself was no stranger to romance outside her marriage. According to friends, she had a habit of charming men with a strategic, almost playful allure. Sally Bedell Smith, author of Diana in Search of Herself, noted, “She would give you a look with lowered eyes… You knew deep down it was a game she played, and a very clever one in a way. By doing this, she won everybody over.”
Her first alleged affair reportedly began in 1985 with her bodyguard Barry Mannakee. Tina Brown, author of The Diana Chronicles, described the dynamic: “For a woman in a golden cage, bodyguards are an obvious candidate for romantic fixation. A bodyguard may be the only real man a princess meets. His strong shoulders clear the path ahead in the crowd. His firm hand on her elbow guides his principal to the refuge of a waiting car.”
In a taped conversation, Diana reportedly reflected on Mannakee, saying, “I was only happy when he was around. I was like a little girl in front of him the whole time, desperate for praise. Desperate.”
The revelations in Juan Carlos’s memoir are sure to reignite interest in the tangled histories of two of the world’s most scrutinized royals, highlighting just how much remained behind the palace doors.
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at least charles screwed only 1 ugly old broad camilla
seems like Di was a nympho and look at the men she slept with
ugly men, ok they were rich but come on even street whores have limits
look at the arab muslims prick who died in the car wreck with Di, UGLY
if that was a broad it would have been 4 bags, 1 plastic, 3 paper
Yes sir DI spread her legs more than Meeghan