George Boyle
James Hewitt, a former British Army officer, came into the limelight in the 1990s due to his affair with Diana, Princess of Wales. Princess Diana confirmed the affair in her 1995 BBC Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. Hewitt and Diana's romance sparked rumours that he was the biological father of her second son, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. These rumours resurfaced ahead of Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle, but Hewitt has consistently denied them.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Was James Hewitt at Prince Harry's wedding? | No |
| Did James Hewitt want to attend Prince Harry's wedding? | Yes |
| Why didn't James Hewitt attend Prince Harry's wedding? | King Charles prohibited him from attending |
| Why did King Charles prohibit James Hewitt from attending the wedding? | He did not want the optics of having the then-prince's mother's ex-lover as a guest |
| Did James Hewitt watch Prince Harry's wedding on TV? | No |
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What You'll Learn
James Hewitt's absence from Prince Harry's wedding
James Hewitt, a former lover of Princess Diana, was notably absent from Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle. Hewitt is a former cavalry officer in the British Army who came to public attention in the mid-1990s after disclosing an affair with Princess Diana while she was married to Prince Charles.
There has been much speculation about Hewitt's relationship with Princess Diana and whether he is the biological father of Prince Harry. These rumours resurfaced on the eve of Prince Harry's wedding. However, Hewitt has consistently denied these rumours, and supporters of Princess Diana, including her former butler Paul Burrell, have also spoken out against them. Hewitt himself has stated that he has no regrets about falling in love with Princess Diana.
Despite his absence from the wedding, Hewitt has expressed concern about the rift between Prince Harry and his brother, Prince William. He believes that Princess Diana would have been worried about the antagonism between her two sons. Hewitt has kept a low profile in recent years, living as a recluse in Dorset and preferring to stay out of the public eye.
While the reason for Hewitt's absence from the wedding is not explicitly stated, it is likely due to his past relationship with Princess Diana and the sensitivity of the situation, given the persistent rumours and speculation surrounding Prince Harry's paternity.
In conclusion, James Hewitt's absence from Prince Harry's wedding can be attributed to various factors, including the media scrutiny surrounding their relationship, the sensitivity of the paternity rumours, and Hewitt's preference for privacy and a reclusive lifestyle.
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Hewitt's rumoured paternity of Prince Harry
James Hewitt, a former cavalry officer in the British Army, came into the limelight in the mid-1990s after disclosing an affair with Diana, Princess of Wales. The affair lasted for five years, from 1986 to 1991, and was confirmed by Diana in her 1995 Panorama interview.
Hewitt has been the subject of persistent rumours that he is the biological father of Princess Diana's second son, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. These rumours have been fuelled by the physical resemblance between Hewitt and Prince Harry, particularly their red hair. However, Hewitt has consistently denied these rumours, stating that there is no possibility whatsoever that he is Harry's father. He has emphasized that Harry was already a toddler when he met Diana and that a paternity test is unnecessary.
In an effort to dispel the rumours, Princess Diana's former police bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, and royal protection officer, Inspector Ken Wharfe, have both stated that it is impossible for Hewitt to be Harry's father based on a comparison of dates. According to them, Diana did not meet Hewitt until the summer of 1986, almost two years after Harry's birth in September 1984. Additionally, they attribute Harry's red hair to the Spencer family, as Diana referred to him as her "little Spencer".
Despite the denials and explanations, the rumours about Hewitt's paternity of Prince Harry have resurfaced over the years, especially around significant events like Prince Harry's wedding. While some people believe that only a paternity test can put the matter to rest, no such test has been undertaken, and there is no evidence to support the rumours.
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Hewitt's affair with Princess Diana
James Hewitt, a former cavalry officer in the British Army, came into the spotlight in the mid-1990s after disclosing his affair with Princess Diana of Wales. Hewitt was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Kent and Devon. He was educated at Norwood Preparatory School in Exeter and Millfield, a public school in Somerset. Hewitt's affair with Princess Diana began while he was in the Household Cavalry and was asked to give her riding lessons.
News of the relationship spread quickly, and within months, British newspapers published accounts of the romance. The affair lasted for several years, beginning in 1986, around the same time that Prince Charles was rumoured to have started an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Diana's bodyguard, Wharfe, suggested that this may have contributed to her willingness to begin an affair with Hewitt. Hewitt and Diana usually met at a cottage in Devon belonging to Hewitt's mother, where they often cooked and spent time together.
The affair ended in 1991 when Hewitt was sent to Iraq for the Gulf War, and their infidelity was later exposed in the media. Diana and Prince Charles separated in 1992 and divorced four years later. Hewitt retired from the British Army in 1994 after 17 years of service and was granted the rank of Major.
In 1994, Hewitt cooperated with author Anna Pasternak for the book "Princess in Love," which detailed the extramarital affair. The book hit the shelves in October 1994, shortly after Prince Charles admitted to his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Diana confirmed the affair in a 1995 Panorama interview, saying, "Yes, I adored him. Yes, I was in love with him. But I was very let down."
Persistent rumours have suggested that Hewitt, not Prince Charles, is the biological father of Diana's second son, Prince Harry. However, these rumours have been consistently denied by Hewitt, Diana's former butler, and her former police bodyguard, Ken Wharfe. Hewitt stated that Harry had already been born by the time his relationship with Diana began, and Wharfe confirmed this by noting that Harry was conceived around Christmas 1983, while Diana did not meet Hewitt until the summer of 1986.
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Hewitt's denial of the rumours
James Hewitt has consistently denied the rumours that he is Prince Harry's biological father. Hewitt and Princess Diana began their affair in 1986, two years after Harry was born. In 2002, Hewitt told the Sunday Mirror:
> "There really is no possibility whatsoever that I am Harry's father. I can absolutely assure you that I am not. Admittedly, the red hair is similar to mine, and people say we look alike. I have never encouraged these comparisons and although I was with Diana for a long time, I must state once and for all that I'm not Harry's father."
Supporters of Diana, including her former butler Paul Burrell, have also denied the rumours. Burrell told Australia's version of "I'm A Celebrity..." that he believed Charles was Harry's real father, stating:
> "Yes. Absolutely. (Diana) didn't know James Hewitt when Harry was born. That's fact."
Diana's former police bodyguard Ken Wharfe also denied the rumours, writing:
> "The malicious rumours that still persist about the paternity of Prince Harry used to anger Diana greatly. The nonsense should be scotched here and now. Harry was born on 15 September, 1984. Diana did not meet James until the summer of 1986, and the red hair, gossips so love to cite as proof is, of course, a Spencer trait."
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Prince Charles' alleged jokes about not being Harry's biological father
James Hewitt, a former cavalry officer in the British Army, came into the spotlight in the 1990s after his affair with Diana, Princess of Wales, was revealed. The affair began when Hewitt was asked to give Princess Diana riding lessons. Princess Diana confirmed the affair in a 1995 interview with the BBC's Panorama programme.
Persistent media suggestions have been made that Hewitt, and not Prince Charles, is the biological father of Diana's second son, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Hewitt has consistently denied these rumours. Princess Diana's former police bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, also denied the rumours, stating that Diana did not meet Hewitt until the summer of 1986, after Harry's birth in September 1984.
In his memoir, *Spare*, Prince Harry addressed the rumours, writing:
> "Pa liked telling stories, and this was one of the best in his repertoire. He'd always end with a burst of philosophizing... Who knows if I'm really the Prince of Wales? Who knows if I'm even your real father? He'd laugh and laugh, though it was a remarkably unfunny joke, given the rumour circulating just then that my actual father was one of Mummy's former lovers: Major James Hewitt. One cause of this rumour was Major Hewitt's flaming ginger hair, but another cause was sadism. Tabloid readers were delighted by the idea that the younger child of Prince Charles wasn't the child of Prince Charles. They couldn't get enough of this 'joke,' for some reason. Maybe it made them feel better about their lives that a young prince's life was laughable."
Prince Harry further claimed that several newspapers reported that his biological father was James Hewitt after Princess Diana admitted to having an affair with him. In a witness statement, Harry said:
> "Never mind that my mother didn't meet Major Hewitt until long after I was born, the story was simply too good to drop. At the time, when I was 18 years old and had lost my mother [Princess Diana] just six years earlier, stories such as this felt very damaging and very real to me. They were hurtful, mean, and cruel. I was always left questioning the motives behind the stories. Were the newspapers keen to put doubt into the minds of the public so that I might be ousted from the Royal Family?"
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Frequently asked questions
No, James Hewitt did not attend Prince Harry's wedding.
There were rumours that Hewitt was Prince Harry's biological father, and it is believed that King Charles prohibited him from attending the wedding.
A source claimed that Hewitt was "heartbroken that he didn't get invited".
It is unclear what Hewitt was doing during Prince Harry's wedding, but it is speculated that he didn't even watch the wedding on TV.
