Former Palace press secretary lifts lid on Diana’s panicked 5am call ahead of explosive book

A former Palace press secretary, who worked closely with the late royal, has opened up about the day she called him in a panic.

IN LONDON

A former Palace press secretary has lifted the lid on what was unfolding privately the day Princess Diana’s bombshell claims about the royal family were published.

Dickie Arbiter, 83 – who worked for the royals for 12 years until 2000, serving the late Queen, then-Prince Charles, and Princess Diana – opened up to the UK’s Telegraph about the day Andrew Morton’s famously explosive book, Diana: Her True Story was published in 1992.

He explained that a panicked Diana had called him at 5am, asking him “what she should do”.

“I told her it couldn’t be undone now, but just to keep schtum, not answer her phone, and I would accompany her on her next engagement two days later to keep people at bay,” Arbiter recalled, adding that he’d been sent to Charing Cross station “to pick up the first edition of the paper”, as they’d had no idea how the revelations would be covered.

The Princess of Wales during a visit to a factory in South Shields in 1992. Picture: PA Images via Getty Images

Dickie Arbiter, LVO, at Buckingham Palace. Picture: Fiona Hanson – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

Seeing it in print for the first time, he admitted, had left him “gobsmacked” by what the princess had said.

Morton’s book, which sold more than five million copies that year, delved into Diana’s mental health struggles along with the intense issues within her marriage, including details of a confrontation between herself and Charles’ then-mistress, Camilla.

It was considered hugely damaging to the royal family, and less than six months after it hit bookstores, Charles and Diana announced their separation.

They finalised their divorce in 1996.

Arbiter (centre) worked closely with Diana. Picture: Tim Graham/Getty Images

Arbiter, who is now a renowned royal commentator, also went into detail about his policy with the press during his time working for the royal family.

“My mantra was never say no comment because there was always something to say, it just might not be the answer that journalists wanted. I was honest and never ignored calls,” he told the Telegraph, adding that “the only protocol” was that he was “never” supposed to go in front of the camera.

“I did break this golden rule when Prince Charles broke his arm playing polo and there was a media frenzy outside Cirencester Cottage Hospital. Charles thanked me afterwards for being upfront.”

Originally published as Former Palace press secretary lifts lid on Diana’s panicked 5am call ahead of explosive book