Who’s the mystery man in Princess Diana’s photo?

Rappler.com

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Diana's biographer identified the mystery man in the newly revealed photo of a teenage Princess Diana

TEENAGE FRIENDS. The newly revealed photo of a teenage Princess Diana shows her with a mystery man now identified as Adam Russell, the great-grandson of former British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. Photo courtesy: The Caren Archive

MANILA, Philippines – The mystery surrounding the newly revealed photo of Princess Diana is solved. Well, part of it, at least.

Diana biographer Andrew Morton identified to UK’s The Guardian the man teenage Lady Diana Spencer was photographed cozying up with.

The 8×10 inch image shows Diana at about 18 or 19 on a skiing holiday in Switzerland around 1979 or 1980. The never-before-published photo is now up for auction in New Hampshire.

Morton said the mystery man was Adam Russell, the great-grandson of former British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, and now a deer farmer in Dorset. Morton said he interviewed Russell for his book, Diana, Her True Story.

“The picture was taken when they were both injured during the skiing holiday, which was organised by a number of Old Etonians. They kept each other company while the others went skiing and, at the end of the holiday, Adam was somewhat smitten. But absolutely nothing happened.”

Morton said Russell later wanted to rekindle his friendship with Diana after completing his studies and a year of travel.

“When he arrived home a year later, it was too late. A friend told him, ‘You’ve only got one rival – the Prince of Wales.’”

Morton added, “If Adam had been a little more forthright about his feelings before he left Oxford, the history of the British monarchy might have been very different.” 

Why the odd marking?

Despite Morton’s revelations, other questions remain unanswered. One is why the photo was scrawled with the warning, “not to be published.” The mark is said to raise the auction price higher than the expected £750.

The identity of the photographer is also not known but the photo was reportedly sold to the Daily Mirror two days after Diana’s engagement to Prince Charles was announced.

The Daily Mail reported that the picture remained in the paper’s archives until it was bought 7 years ago by the private Caren Archive, which is now putting it up for sale through RR Auctions in New Hampshire.

Diana, Princess of Wales, died at the age of 36 in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. She is survived by two sons, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry. – Rappler.com 

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