Getty Images (2)
Who Is Hasnat Khan? Inside Princess Diana’s Relationship With Her Boyfriend After Her Divorce
In season 5 of The Crown, viewers got to see Princess Diana explore other romantic connections as her marriage to King Charles III came to an end. The show depicts the very private relationship between the Princess of Wales and Hasnat Khan in the years before her tragic death.
Who Is Hasnat Khan?
Hasnat is a heart and lung surgeon who was born in Pakistan in 1958. He worked at both the Royal Brompton Hospital and the London Chest Hospital in the ‘90s. In the early 2000s, the medical professional worked at St. Bart’s Hospital and Harefield Hospital, per multiple reports.
In 2013, it was reported that Hasnat was working as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Basildon University Hospital. That same year, he was openly critical of the film Diana, the biographical drama about Diana and Hasnat’s relationship, starring Naomi Watts and Naveen Andrews.
“It is based on gossip and Diana’s friends talking about a relationship that they didn’t know much about, and some of my relatives who didn’t know much about it either,” he claimed about the film in an interview with The Daily Mail at the time. “It is all based on hypotheses and gossip.”
How Did Princess Diana Meet Hasnat Khan?
Diana met Hasnat while he was working at the Royal Brompton Hospital. She was visiting her acupuncturist Oonagh Shanley-Toffolo’s husband after he underwent surgery. After their first meeting, Diana regularly made trips to the hospital to meet with sick patients, leading her to grow closer to Hasnat.
“I found her a very normal person. We all have our drawbacks, but I found her a very normal person with great qualities and some personal drawbacks, like bad habits. We all have drawbacks,” the cardiologist told The Daily Mail in January 2008. “I think she did great work for the country and for people all over the world — not just in the U.K. but everywhere. I think that is important.”
The pair officially began dating in 1995 after their blossoming friendship turned romantic.
“Diana and I had a very good relationship with no personal problems,” he maintained. “The only problem we did have was with the media, and the only place we could have any real privacy was at Kensington Palace as they could not get to us there.”
At the time, Diana was separated from Charles, with whom she shared kids Prince William and Prince Harry. Their divorce was finalized in August 1996.
When Did Princess Diana and Hasnat Khan Split?
In July 1997, Diana was invited on a yacht trip to St-Tropez, France, by billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed. The royal had first met the businessman and his eldest son, Dodi Fayed, more than a decade earlier at a polo match. Shortly after the vacation, Diana ended things with Hasnat and moved on with Dodi. They spent time together in both Paris and London during their relationship.
Diana and Dodi dated for a month before they were both killed following a car accident in Paris’ Pont de l’Alma on August 31, 1997. Hasnat attended her funeral at Westminster Abbey.
Where Is Hasnat Khan Now?
Years after his relationship with Diana came to an end, Hasnat married Hadia Sher Ali in 2006. They divorced after 18 months of marriage. In 2017, it was reported that the doctor was engaged to Somi Sohail. Hasnat has continued to keep a low profile while continuing to practice medicine.
