The heart surgeon Princess Diana loved is to quit London to build a new life in Pakistan. Consultant Hasnat Khan broke a decade-long silence to speak about his frustration that he cannot put his two-year relationship with the Princess behind him, newspaper Daily Mail reported on Friday.
The 47-year-old had a relationship with Diana until months before she died, and was at the centre of speculation that they would marry. She told friends he was "the love of her life".
Hasnat said he would be moving to Pakistan with his wife, whom he married last year. He said he was "surprised" not to be called to give evidence at the inquest into Diana's death. He said he would never cash in on his relationship with the Princess.
The Doctor resigned from his post as a consultant at Barts and the Royal London NHS trust on September30, after 12 years' working in the NHS. His flat in Streatham has been let and his BMW is on sale for £2,500. The heart surgeon is to fly within weeks to join his wife, Hadia Sher Ali, 29, in Pakistan.
The move comes during the inquest into the Princess's death. "It is true I am leaving the country," said Hasnat. "I want to get away from all of this. I am going to Pakistan for good. It's not that bad; is it?" Dr Khan said he took the decision, to move, long before the inquest began. "My move has been planned for a long time," he said. "It has nothing to do with the inquest. It is a professional move."
The Princess first met the surgeon while visiting the husband of her friend Oonagh Toffolo, who had been taken ill with a serious heart condition. He worked with heart specialist Sir Magdi Yacoub, and Diana was later invited to observe an operation. There was speculation among her friends that she and Hasnat would marry. And, she travelled to Lahore in 1996, to meet his parents.
But the doctor hated the publicity which surrounded Diana, and there was uncertainty over whether his devout Muslim family would accept the world's most famous divorcee. Their relationship ended about three months before her death, but friends of Diana have repeatedly said they believed she was still in love with him.
Dr Khan told the inquiry by Lord Stevens into her death that Diana had talked about marrying him, and moving to Pakistan after he told her it was the "only way he could see them having any sort of a normal life together".
The inquiry report added: "He knew that the Princess considered this an option for a while. She even went to Pakistan to speak to Jemima Khan about life there. "However, after a while she no longer talked about Pakistan and although she did not actually say so, Hasnat got the impression that she no longer considered living there a possibility."
Dr Khan said he wanted to move on. "The whole matter has been unfortunate and tragic for many people who were involved," he said. He said that he had not discussed his relationship with the Princess in any depth with his wife. "What is there to talk about? We have all moved on," he said.
Royal observers believe Dr Khan holds key information about the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles, and her treatment by the royal family. Dozens of books have been written about the Princess since her death, but Hasnat has refused all offers, saying that "people only write books to make money".
He told the paper he would never cash in on his time with Diana. "I told you that 10 years ago - and as you can see I am a man of my word," he said. But the surgeon said he would have been happy to give evidence at the inquest, currently underway at the High Court with Lord Justice Scott Baker acting as coroner.
"I am not a legal man; so I don't know a lot about these things, but I was surprised that nobody called me," he said. "I would have attended if I had been asked." Princes William and Harry are said to be fond of the surgeon for the loyalty he has shown Diana since her death.
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