Princess Diana's former chauffer, Stephen Davies, has opened up on realising he'd been betrayed after watching an episode of The Crown. The 61-year-old who'd served as Princess Diana's driver until March 1996, discovered the reason behind his abrupt dismissal from his Royal role after it was uncovered on the Netflix drama, reports Surrey Live.
He has since express his belief Diana would still be alive if he'd been at the wheel on the night of her tragic downfall in Paris. According to New Zealand's Woman's Weekly, it was the portrayal of BBC journalist Martin Bashir in the Netflix series that highlighted the past for Stephen.
The award-winning show suggested Bashir accused members of Diana's inner circle, including her driver aka Stephen, had leaked information to the media. The shows revelation led Stephen to understand the circumstances of his dismissal.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Stephen detailed the profound effect Bashir's allegations had on his life and career: "The consequence for me was that I was forced out of a job I wanted to be my life's work. Martin Bashir robbed me of mine by making those allegations to Diana.", reports Gloucestershire Live.
Stephen continued, reflecting on the emotional toll of the situation: "I'm not the kind of man who wastes time and energy being bitter or angry, but she died believing I had betrayed her and that's something I can't ever forget or forgive."
After Martin Bashir's deception to secure the interview with Diana was exposed, Stephen sought justice. As reported by the Daily Express, he successfully claimed compensation, with the BBC acknowledging the claims against him were "fabricated".
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Following his legal win, the legal team at Carter-Ruck released a statement in which he expressed: "I am relieved that I have been able to clear my name, and my professional reputation as a chauffeur, through this legal process."
He added: "I was shocked to hear that these false allegations had been made about me almost 30 years ago and were very likely to be the cause of my sudden termination."
Representing Stephen, Persephone Bridgman Baker from Carter-Ruck stated: "The claimant was devastated by the termination of his employment with the Princess; he had maintained a close professional relationship with the Princess throughout the many years he had worked for her and he was given no reason for the termination."
She continued: "The Claimant was tormented by speculation about what possible reason there could be for the termination of his employment and was acutely embarrassed about his dismissal. It is a matter of profound regret to him that, as he now knows, the Princess believed that he had betrayed her, and he was unable to correct the position before her tragic death."
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