Princess Diana’s Private Secretary To Discuss Her Life In Knoxville

Princess Diana’s former private secretary Patrick Jephson will head to Knoxville on May 5 to talk about the late princess’ life.

Jephson will speak at “Princess Diana: An Intimate Portrait” from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. EDT at the Jewelry Television headquarters. Tickets are priced at $250, and $125 of the said amount will be donated to charity.

Prior to the event, Jephson spoke with USA Today (via Knox News) to share some details about what he will discuss on May 5.

“I know understandingly people like to see her in rather simpler shades, either for or against. We tend to do that with historical characters, particularly those we feel some sort of emotional affinity to. The reality is Princess Diana was a very complex person; I think a great person, a historical person. She has made her mark on the centuries and will be remembered as long as people talk about the British monarchy. That’s not to say she was always easy or as nice as she might be. She was very human. But always, even on a really bad day, she was worth it,” he said.

Jephson also talked about Princess Diana’s relationship with the royal family. He said that the Princess of Wales felt very excluded from everyone. He also said that Prince Charles tried to discredit his own wife after their split and portrayed her as an emotionally unstable person.

“She portrayed herself as a victim, which she wasn’t. She gave away so much of her strengths… She had been under sustained attack by the ‘establishment media’ and her husband’s friends and in-laws. Yet she had overcome that. She was developing her own style as an independent royal operator,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jephson will be giving away copies of his 2000 book, “Shadows of Princess,” at next month’s gathering. Sometime this year, he will also be releasing his new book, “The Meghan Factor,” which will center on Prince Harry’s fiancée.

Other details about the book are still being kept under wraps.