Princess Diana declared 'game, set and match' after reading transcript of 'Camillagate' tape with Charles's graphic tampon reference

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Former bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, pictured with the princess in 1992, revealed that Diana reveled in her husband's embarrassment

Princess Diana declared 'game, set and match' after reading a transcript of the 'Camillagate' tape where Prince Charles made a graphic reference to a tampon.

Her former bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, has revealed that as the conversation made headlines around the world when it emerged in 1993, Diana reveled in her husband's embarrassment.

The former personal protection officer claims Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles' leaked late night telephone chat gave Diana a boost as she began rebuilding her life after separating publicly from the heir to the throne.

Diana's reaction to the 1989 recording – transcribed and widely published by newspapers in 1993 – is revealed by the ex-Met Police officer in his new book Guarding Diana: Protecting The Princess Around The World.

Mr Wharfe also claims in the book the Princess was upset when Charles refused to join her at India's iconic Taj Mahal where she was photographed alone, illustrating the rift in their marriage.

Diana and Camilla Parker-Bowles together in 1980.  Charles and Camilla's leaked late night telephone chat gave Diana a boost as she began rebuilding her life after separating publicly from the heir to the throne.

A picture of a forlorn-looking Diana sitting in front of the Taj Mahal mausoleum – Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's monument of love to his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal – prompted rumours about the state of her marriage during a tour of India

The Princess of Wales' bodyguard Ken Wharfe has written a book about his time with her

Writing in the book, he quotes Diana: 'Game, set and match,' she said, clutching to her copy of the Daily Mirror containing a transcript of the 'Camillagate' tape as we talked in her sitting room at Kensington Palace.'

The transcript had been published by national newspapers in January 1993, just over a month after the Prince and Princess formally separated and during a period when Diana was attempting to establish herself as a national figure in her own right.

Commenting on the reaction to Charles, following the publication of the tape's transcript, the former personal protection officer said in the book: 'The backlash was savage. 

'Establishment figures normally loyal to future King and country were appalled, and some questioned the Prince's suitability to rule.'

He went on to say: 'Cartoonists lampooned him in the press. One cartoon, featuring him talking dirty to his plants, particularly amused the Princess, who collapsed into fits of giggles on seeing it.'

The previous year, a picture of a forlorn-looking Diana sitting in front of the Taj Mahal mausoleum – Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's monument of love to his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal – prompted rumours about the state of her marriage during a tour of India.

Charles was committed to his own separate itinerary at the time and was in New Delhi, where he delivered the major speech of the tour.

But Mr Wharfe, who guarded Diana for more than five years until 1993, writing in his book, said: 'The Princess, who told me she was genuinely upset by her husband's refusal to join her at the Taj Mahal, had privately decided to drive home the point.'

He added when a TV journalist asked about her thoughts on the monument she turned to him for help and he advised: 'Just say it is a healing experience,' and she replied to the broadcaster 'It was a fascinating experience – very healing.'

The Princess gave newspapers license to interpret the remark as a comment about her marriage when, asked what she meant, she replied 'Work it out for yourself,' Mr Wharfe suggested.

A documentary set to air tonight will claim Diana Diana cried herself to sleep the night Harry was born.

Former butler Paul Burrell is interviewed on the programme. He worked with Dana for 10 years and said: 'I could see the cracks in the marriage getting wider and wider.

'Diana confided in me that on the night Harry was born, she cried herself to sleep. She said, 'I knew my marriage was over'.'

Burrell also said Prince Charles told her his duty as a husband was 'done'.

Guarding Diana by Ken Wharfe is out now, published by John Blake Publishing. 

Channel 4's Princess Diana's Wicked Stepmother will air tonight.

'I don't believe in any conspiracy theories': Ken Wharfe blames 'very elementary errors' for her death 

The news of Princess Diana's death prompted a wave of conspiracy theories, which are still believed by some people nearly 20 years on from the crash.

Ken Wharfe spoke to ITV's This Morning today about the alternative theories surrounding her death. This is what he said:

'The interesting thing about Fayed's idea about there were conspiracies and he names the Duke of Edinburgh - here was an opportunity for these theories, for the evidence to be put forward. Of course there was no evidence so he couldn't prove any of the theories he'd been saying for years up until this inquest. 

Diana's former bodyguard Ken Wharfe spoke to Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford on ITV's This Morning about the conspiracy theories surrounding Diana's death in 1997

'I agree with the verdict - this was an accident caused by a man driving too fast for the road conditions and with a blood alcohol limit way above.

Mr Wharfe spoke today about 'a series of very elementary errors in protection'

'Any speed above 60mph in that tunnel is almost uncontrollable. At that speed - it was nearer 70 or even above that - to hit a concrete pillar at that sort of speed, nothing is going to withstand an accident of that size and it's no wonder that three people died in that accident - two of which were not wearing seatbelts. And there's an issue in itself because had, irrespective of the conspiracy theories, had Diana and Dodi been wearing seatbelts then there's every reason to suppose that they would have survived that accident.

'The biggest failure (by security officers) in my book was certainly the seatbelt theory but there was little or no liaison with the police outside of the hotel. You have to question why did Henri Paul, who that day had been seen by security officers and I think the words were 'it looks as though he had a good lunch', he did have a drink problem. So you have to ask the question, why was this man allowed to drive this vehicle at that time? I don't believe in any conspiracy theories. I just think there were a series of very elementary errors in protection that actually in my view caused the accident.

'All you needed to do was ask the local police was sit in front of this car. They will sit at 25mph, had that been the case, the worst case scenario would have been that Henri Paul would have probably knocked a policeman off his bike - certainly not have crashed in the Alma tunnel at 70mph.' 

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