Diana equerry defends '˜well-intentioned' documentary

Former equerry Patrick Jephson has defended the decision by the broadcaster to show candid video tapes which show the Princess of Wales speaking candidly about her upbringing, her courtship and her troubled marriage.

Channel 4 has come under fierce criticism over Diana: In Her Own Words, a documentary to be aired ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Princess’s death, but Mr Jephson told Radio Times magazine that the tapes were “legitimate additions to the historical record”.

He said that he had “better reason than most to know that the Princess could be a mercurial and impulsive figure, in whom the flame of an angry fire could sometimes burn uncomfortably hot”.

“On a bad day - and luckily they were few - you’d think Boudicca with a headache might be an easier boss,” he said.

But the former equerry, who has contributed to the documentary, said: “She had every reason to be angry, trapped with the knowledge that her husband loved another woman.

“And she had reason to be angry too when the sympathy and guidance she needed... seemed to arrive in very small measures”.

He told the magazine: “At a time when, to their great credit, both her children are encouraging us to remember their mother in a positive light, this film is a well-timed, well-made and well-intentioned addition to the standard anniversary menu. And if it takes a little longer to digest, at least it won’t have you reaching for the sick bag.”

Among the critics of the documentary are the Queen’s former spokesman Dickie Arbiter, who called it shameful, and Rosa Monckton, one of the Princess’s closest friends, who described the broadcast as “a betrayal of her privacy and of the family’s privacy”.

Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine, went as far as to call it the “lowest common denominator TV” in an interview with The Sun.

Channel 4 has defended the tapes, excerpts of which were shown in the US in 2004, and said that “the subjects covered are a matter of public record and provide a unique insight into the preparations Diana undertook to gain a public voice and tell her own personal story”.

The videotapes were shot at Diana’s private residence at Kensington Palace by her speech coach Peter Settelen during their practice sessions.