Patrick Jephson, former private secretary to Princess Diana, has offered a stark warning to the modern Royal Family, reflecting on the institutional failures that, in his view, cost the Princess of Wales both her safety and her legacy.

As someone who witnessed the turbulence of the “War of the Waleses” from the front row, Jephson understands better than most what a monarchy in crisis looks like. Now, three decades after resigning in the aftermath of Diana’s explosive Panorama interview with Martin Bashir, he has only recently learned the full extent of the deceit that shaped that moment.

Bashir, a BBC journalist, forged bank documents to convince Diana that Jephson—formerly of the Royal Navy—was being paid by “dark forces” to spy on her. The fabricated claims shattered a highly effective professional partnership that had lasted nearly ten years, and pushed the Princess further into isolation.

Jephson and other long-time confidants now believe that had Diana not given the controversial interview—which ultimately led to her divorce from Prince Charles and distanced her from those committed to protecting her—she might not have died less than two years later in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.

Reflecting on what might have been, Jephson suggests that the monarchy lost a “priceless asset” when it failed to take Diana seriously. “They let her slip through their fingers,” he said, “and the country has been poorer for it ever since.”

The warning comes at a time when the Royal Family faces a level of fragility not seen since the 1990s: the aftermath of Harry and Meghan’s departure, the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III and the Princess of Wales both battling cancer, and the downfall of the Duke of York.

Jephson argues that these challenges underscore the long-term consequences of failing to nurture and protect its own. Princess Diana, he believes, could have provided invaluable guidance to her sons—guidance they were never able to receive.

“She was going to be the next queen—if not in title, then in the hearts of the public,” he said. “Her sons were denied the chance to learn from her example as they grew into adulthood. There was far more to her than the simplified statue that now stands at Kensington Palace.”

His message is clear: the monarchy paid a high price for its mishandling of Diana, and in today’s climate, it cannot afford to repeat history.