"She snatched the questions away from me and then clipped the microphone on to herself and the tape recorder was on and away she went."Ĭolthurst is thanked in the acknowledgments of Morton's Diana: Her True Story. And you know, initially, I sat and I read out the questions, but that was too slow for Diana," he said. "I peddled in with a briefcase in the bicycle basket. Steve Back/Daily Mail/Shutterstockĭiana soon entrusted Colthurst with bringing her taped answers to Morton.
James Colthurst on his bike, as Princess Diana’s go-between. Eventually, Morton approached Colthurst with his idea to write a book telling Princess Diana's side of the story.ĭr. Soon, they became squash opponents and played together in North London. Morton was covering Princess Diana's visit to the hospital he worked at (pictured above), and struck up a friendship with James. She was interested in such a wide range of subjects that it balanced what seemed an unhappy life at Kensington Palace with daily encounters with happy, smiling faces," he shared. But she was so happy to feel she had something to give that she took on a daunting number of patronages and these all took time and effort. John Shelley Collection/Avalon // Getty Imagesĭuring her royal life, "perhaps one of the toughest features of being her friend was trying to encourage her to limit her task list as well as coaxing her over the many bumpy moments which she found almost overwhelming. Good fun, bright and mischievous, it was hard not to hit it off with Diana straight away, and so began the friendship she and I maintained for the rest of her short, eventful life," he wrote on what would have been her 60th birthday.ĭiana, Princess of Wales visiting St Thomas Hospital, where Colthurst worked, in May 1991.
"She knew several of the friends I was with, and they brought her back to our apartment when she twisted her ankle, telling her I would look at it as I was a medical student at the time. They initially met in Val Claret, France, when Diana hurt her ankle, and remained close for years. Colthurst was a close friend of Princess Diana's.
James Colthurst features in season five of The Crown, so naturally, viewers may be interested to learn more about Diana's doctor friend. The two became lifelong friends, and he played a critical role in the writing of Andrew Morton's book, Diana: Her True Story, bringing Morton's questions to the princess and delivering tapes she recorded for the author. James Colthurst met a young Princess Diana on a skiing trip when she was 17 years old.
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