Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · July 9, 2025 · Entertainment

Diana's Steamy Secret: The Night in a Fur Coat and Tiara

Princess Diana was said to be 'infatuated' with debonair English art dealer Oliver Hoare (pictured in 1986), with new details about the one-time lovers' passionate relationship revealed this week in journalist and royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith's latest Substack Royal Extras

Royal Scandal: Princess Diana's Sultry Affair with Married Art Dealer Oliver Hoare Exposed

In a shocking revelation, renowned royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith has spilled the beans on Princess Diana's steamy romance with married art dealer Oliver Hoare in the early 1990s. The tantalizing tale of the People's Princess's passionate yet tumultuous affair with the debonair Hoare is sure to leave you breathless!

As we all know, Princess Diana was known for her fiery personality and her penchant for drama. But few knew about her secret trysts with married men, including the enigmatic Oliver Hoare. The 46-year-old art dealer, who was 16 years Diana's senior, was married to Diane de Waldner de Freundstein, heiress to a French oil company, when he began his illicit affair with the then-32-year-old princess.

Princess Diana and the then Prince Charles now King pictured with Oliver Hoare and his wife, French oil heiress Diane de Waldner de Freundstein, chatting at Guard's Polo in June 1986

According to Lady Elsa Bowker, a close friend and confidante of Princess Diana's, the royal's affair with Hoare was marked by intense passion and jealousy. "She suspected he was really going to see his wife, and nothing he said could convince her otherwise," Lady Elsa recalled. "She was very suspicious and mistrustful."

One fateful evening, Diana's doubts got the better of her, and she fled a moving vehicle in which she and Hoare were riding. "They were in the car, and at one point she was so upset that she opened the door as if to jump out," Lady Elsa revealed.

But even when Diana did eventually exit the vehicle, it only marked the beginning of a wild goose chase through London. According to Lady Elsa, Diana jumped out of the car in Sloane Square, leaving behind her bag and her money. Hoare was left distraught, driving all over London for three hours before finally finding his wayward lover in a park near Kensington Palace.

While the handsome Hoare, who was 14 years older than Diana - and a married father-of-three - never admitted to their romance, the late Princess confided in diplomat's wife Lady Elsa Bowker, who she was 'incredibly close' to

This sultry affair was not without its drama, however. When Hoare tried to cool things off with Diana in 1994, she allegedly bombarded him with nuisance telephone calls. The police were eventually called in, and some of the 300 calls were traced back to Princess Diana's private line at Kensington Palace.

But despite her reputation for being a bit of a drama queen, Diana never publicly acknowledged her love for Hoare as she did for Cavalry officer James Hewitt or Hasnat Khan. Instead, she kept her feelings hidden behind a veil of secrecy, only sharing them with her closest friends and confidantes.

And then there's the infamous incident where Diana arrived at Hoare's family home clad in nothing but a fur coat, tiara, and jewels. "One time she [Diana] arrived at his house when his wife and children were away," Lady Elsa recounted. "She came in the evening, and when he opened the door, she was wearing a fur coat and tiara. They came inside and were standing in front of the fire. He said, 'Aren't you warm in that coat?' and she took it off. Underneath she was naked and wearing lots of jewels."

'Aren¿t you warm in that coat?' Lady Elsa, who died in 2000 at the age of 92, once recounted how Diana had arrived at Hoare's home in a fur coat, and wearing nothing else

But what made this affair truly unique was the presence of Lady Elsa Bowker, a woman who became a surrogate mother figure to Princess Diana during her tumultuous years. As Bedell Smith wrote in her book, "Diana In Search of Herself", Lady Elsa was an 'enchanting' presence in Diana's life, offering a sense of stability and comfort.

In Sally Bedell Smith's latest Royal Extras post, entitled "Mother Confessors", she lists the women who Princess Diana turned to in lieu of her own mother. These maternal figures included Lady Annabel Goldsmith, Lucia Flecha de Lima, Hayat Palumbo, and Elsa Bowker herself - all formidable women who played a significant role in Diana's life.

So, was Oliver Hoare the love of Princess Diana's life? Or was he just another conquest in her long list of romantic exploits? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain: this sultry affair has left us all salivating for more!

Over tea in the late 90s, Lady Elsa, who was in her 80s when she became close to Diana, divulged that the pair had a stormy relationship, with the late royal once fleeing his car - she was later found by the art dealer lying down in a park close to Kensington Gardens (Hoare pictured in the early 90s close to his home in Chelsea)

Sources:

  • Sally Bedell Smith's latest Royal Extras post, "Mother Confessors"
  • Sally Bedell Smith's book, "Diana In Search of Herself"

**Read the full article at TheScholarlyNote.com!

The Princess denied that she had been infatuated with Oliver Hoare during her famous Panorama interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC in 1995, saying she did call her former lover but 'not in an obsessive manner, no'

Mother confessor: Diana shared her biggest secrets with Lady Elsa Bowker, who she became friends with when she was in her early 30s and Lady Elsa was  in her mid 80s

The art dealer, who remained married, died of cancer in France in 2018 at the age of 73

Enchanting: Royal biographer Bedell Smith describes Lady Elsa Bowker, who was the wife of diplomat Sir Reginald James Bowker, as 'especially compelling to Diana when she was at her most vulnerable'