Before her famous BBC interview rocked the monarchy, Princess Diana found herself swept up in a real-life fairy tale — though this one remained hidden from the public eye. Her love for Dr. Hasnat Khan, a handsome cardiac surgeon at London’s Royal Brompton Hospital, was one of the most intimate chapters of her life.
They met when Diana visited her close friend Oonagh Shanley-Toffolo, whose husband was being treated by Khan. The princess was immediately captivated by his charm, modesty, and sense of humor — especially his love for jazz and fried chicken, which gave her a taste of normalcy in an otherwise chaotic life.
To protect their relationship, they relied on coded messages and secret rendezvous. Diana sometimes wore a disguise to avoid detection, and on more than one occasion, Khan slipped into Kensington Palace hidden in a car trunk with help from Diana’s devoted butler, Paul Burrell.
Their connection deepened quickly. Diana introduced him to Prince William and Prince Harry and even made the bold move of visiting his family in Lahore, Pakistan. There, she was embraced with open arms, feeling a sense of belonging she rarely experienced elsewhere.
Friends say Diana saw Khan as more than just a boyfriend — she called him “Mr. Wonderful” and believed he was her soulmate. But despite how close they were, their love couldn’t survive the spotlight. Khan worried about how media attention might affect his medical career, while Diana longed to be free to live their love openly.
They parted ways in July 1997, heartbroken but knowing the time wasn’t right. Tragically, just a month later, Diana died in a car crash in Paris. Khan attended her funeral, mourning the woman who had changed his life.
He has since described her as “a very normal person with great qualities and some personal flaws.” Now a respected surgeon and humanitarian, Khan continues his work in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, quietly remembering the princess who once stole his heart.
