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Alexis Glick: It's been nearly 8 years since the world mourned the loss of one of the most famous women in the world, Princess Diana was a fixture on the front pages of newspapers and magazines, from the moment she stepped into the arms of the Prince of Wales. Countless books, interviews in television specials have claimed to shed light on who she was. Now comes a new book from a woman who says her friendship with the princess helped her to write the most honest and intimate portrait yet, it's called Diana, The Last Word, Simone Simmons was Diana's energy healer and friend, her co-author is Ingrid Seward, an expert on the royal family and a writer for the Majesty magazine. Good morning to both of you.
Both: Good morning.
Alexis Glick: Well, first of all, let me send my condolences to the 2 of you for coming in just from London after what we have experienced over the past couple of days, I'm sure it's been difficult.
Simone Simmons: A nightmare.
Alexis Glick: At home? I am sure.
Simone Simmons: Yeah.
Alexis Glick: Let's talk a little bit in the beginning here about how your relationship developed with Diana because that many wonder sort of how you guys got to know each other?
Simone Simmons: Right. Diana was introduced to me for healing initially, and then after a while, the friendship became a friendship I suppose to patient- therapist relationship, We became close friends, ...
Alexis Glick: And you say you knew her...
Simone Simmons: ...and I taught Diana how to heal.
Alexis Glick: And you say you knew her for 4 years before she died, ...
Simone Simmons: Yeah.
Alexis Glick: ...while there're certain claims that in the last year before she did die that you guys were not as close,
Simone Simmons: I've not got letters and things from her from 97 before she died.
Alexis Glick: One of the things that people talk about in the book is your first chapter. It is the chapter that everybody, every critic's writing about, everybody's talking about, and then is that you claim that she had a relationship with JFK Junior and that in fact they actually had an intimate night together at the Carolel hotel.
Simone Simmons: Yes.
Alexis Glick: Tell us about that.
Simone Simmons: We were sitting down on her couch one day just talking, and talking about women, and we started talking about Grace Kelly(Hollywood actress.She starred in Rear Window,one of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces. Later she married the King of Monaco), then we started talking about Jacky A, and then while we talking about Jacky A, Diana said to me in this very sheepish voice, 'I've got something to tell you', and she blurted it out, I uttered 'Are you joking?' and she said 'No.' and I was quite stunned, but it happens. I didn't go into details, I didn't ask her any questions, she was going to tell me.
Ingred Seward: You should have definitely asked her some questions.(yes, I should) I would've done.
Simone Simmons: Yes, I am sure, I know you would have done, you are a journalist. (I know, that's it)
Alexis Glick: As you know, Simone, you know her butler, her secretary, I mean many people who are the very best friends with Diana. Claimed of this
Simone Simmons:as her membered staff
Alexis Glick: claimed that...
Simone Simmons: Yes.
Alexis Glick: ...the relationship never in fact occurred. Some say you know why is that, that all of the sudden this is now claimed in this book almost 8 years later? What do you say to all the critics out there who kinda think while they both passed on, how do we know what the real truth is?
Simone Simmons: Diana wouldn't have lied to me, she didn't lie to me about Doctor Khan the heart surgeon, she told me when it happened in 1995 when she met Hasnar Khan . She told Pool Borrow at the end of 1996 about Hasnar Khan. I was her friend, not her employee.
Ingred Seward: You know, how women can tell each other things...
Simone Simmons: And it's completely the difference.
Ingred Seward: You don't, you are not gonna tell someone that works for you, women, and also, I don't think it was something that Diana was particularly proud of because it was so out of character for her to have a one-nightstand as I supposed it was, and I think she wasn't very proud of it, but she wanted to tell Simone this, but as it's not something she's gonna tell Pool Burrow or her detective or her private secretary least of all, and I think this is the answer to the critics, it's a woman-to-woman thing.
Alexis Glick: For one of the things that the critics also say is, if you had a relationship for all those years, why are there no pictures of the 2 of you together, no real records of moments that you shared together?
Simone Simmons: There're no photos of Ingrid and I together.
Alexis Glick: Good point.
Ingred Seward: Good point.
Simone Simmons: I've got friends I've had for 20 years, there's no photos of us together, I am not a photograph person.
Alexis Glick: Let's talk a little bit about the relationship with Charles, because one thing I found very fascinating about the book is that she in fact had a very close friendship with Charles after their relationship broke off,(after the divorce, yes) in fact that she said that she wanted Charles to make an honest woman out of Camilla.
Simone Simmons: Absolutely, she would have loved Charles to marry Camilla...
Alexis Glick: But what would happen if she...
Simone Simmons: Because she was in love with Hasnar.
Ingred Seward: Charles came round, didn't he? Came round us.
Simone Simmons: If Charles came round, he is at toilets not long after Laurence V died, and she, I was on the phone the time she said 'My Highness is at the door.' She was so surprised, anyway, one hour later she found me out. She'd been talking to him and then the friendship go closer, by Christmas they were just laughing and joking together. This was Christmas of 96. Ah, suddenly by the year of 97, they were talking to each other a lot, and he was her closest male friend.
Ingrid Seward: And she actually said to him, witnessed Simone, when they're ready came around to go to the loo, she said to him, 'by the way, Charles, why don't you make an honest woman of Camilla?' She got no answer for that. Then she said to Simone, 'She can't be all but she is a cancerian like me.'
Alexis Glick: Oh, my goodness. Ingrid, let's talk a little bit for a second about her lasting legacy. Some say it was the landmines.
Simone Simmons: Absolutely.
Alexis Glick: What do you believe is her lasting legacy and how would you look back on this period right now about what's going on in the world?
Ingrid Seward: She wanted, I think she wanted to be remembered as a humanitarian, she didn't want a fountain built in her honor, she would have loved a hospital or a hospice, and with what's going onto the world now she would be certainly landing herself to whatever situation was happening.
Simone Simmons: Yes, and she cared about people, and she genuinely loved people, that's why she shone her lights in the dark corners of the world.
Alexis Glick: All right, well, thank you very much Simone Simmons and Ingrid, thank you, thanks for joining us.
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