Princess Diana cheated on Charles first: former royal protection officer

Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage was infamously messy and filled with infidelity.

Now, a royal insider is making an explosive new claim: Diana cheated first.  

In the upcoming documentary “King Charles: The Boy Who Walked Alone,” premiering on May 2 on Paramount+, several ex-girlfriends and former staffers spill new secrets about the royal family, ahead of the monarch’s May 6 coronation. 

Allan Peters, a former royal protection officer who worked with the family for nine years, appears in the documentary to share his perspective on Charles and Diana’s marriage, which lasted from 1981 until the famously unhappy pair separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. 

“I can categorically say that the first person who strayed in the marriage was the Princess of Wales,” Peters revealed.

“[Charles] didn’t, until after he knew she had strayed. I’m speaking now about all this because I’ve said nothing for 40 years, and I’ve just listened to lies, silly stories, and it’s quite frustrating. There are only a few of us that can say what really happened,” he said.

In the documentary, Peters shares his observations about Princess Diana’s alleged affair with Barry Mannakee, her bodyguard, who would later die at age 39 in a traffic accident in 1987. 

Peters claims that he noticed the Princess of Wales behaving “strangely” around Mannakee, in terms of “what she wore, how she behaved and so forth.”

“It was clear that something had gone on,” he said. “As far as I could ascertain, they were having an affair.”

When Peters took it upon himself to have Mannakee transferred, Princess Diana flew into a rage.

“[She was] throwing her shoes at the back of my head. She was distraught, and life was quite difficult for everybody,” he said. 

According to Peters, when Prince Charles questioned him why Princess Diana was upset, Peters tried to deflect.

“I didn’t want to explain. [Charles] said, ‘The only thing that seems to be upsetting her is that Barry is leaving … He can stay.’ I felt the need to say, ‘He has to go,’” Peters recalled.

“I think at that point, the penny may have dropped as to what was happening. [Charles] never said another word, and turned and left.” 

The documentary stresses that statements such as Peters’ “represent the opinions of individuals and should not be interpreted as facts.” 

And since Princess Diana died in 1997 and Mannakee has also passed, the allegations are impossible to corroborate.

However, based on Peters’ personal observations from his time with the royal family, he is adamant about the cheating timeline that saw Charles resume his longtime affair with his now-wife, Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles. 

“[Charles] never told the truth,” said Peters, referring to his bombshell claim that Princess Diana was the first one to step out on the marriage. 

“He protected his sons from that.”