Did Princess Diana Really Cheat On Prince Charles First?

Anyone who knows about the British royal family likely also knows about Prince Charles' infamous affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, which occurred while he was still married to Princess Diana. As the Princess of Wales revealed in her bombshell BBC Panorama interview with Martin Bashir, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." Though Diana never referred to Camilla by name, everyone knew she was talking about Charles' alleged mistress — especially because the two had dated prior to marrying other people, per Town & Country.

Diana also seemed to be privy as to what was going on behind her back as it happened. Per Andrew Morton's 1992 book, "Diana: Her True Story — In Her Own Words," the young royal had discovered personalized jewelry that Charles had gifted Camilla (via Oprah Daily). While on honeymoon with her husband, Diana also uncovered "two photos of Camilla in his diary, in addition to cufflinks gifted to him with their initials 'C' and 'C' intertwined." And as the final nail in the coffin, Diana overheard her husband telling someone on the phone (allegedly Camilla), "I will always love you," per Oprah Daily. "I told him afterwards that I had listened at the door and we had a filthy row," Diana added.

It's enough to paint Charles as the philandering villain, but there's more than one side to every story. While it's common knowledge that Diana also strayed during her marriage to Charles, a new CNN documentary claims that Diana cheated first.

According to Prince Charles' former personal protection officer, Allan Peters, Princess Diana was the first to cheat on her husband. It was only after this affair that Charles returned to Camilla Parker-Bowles' side, Allan claims. "The popular perception is that the Prince of Wales was straying all the way through his marriage and that is definitely, unequivocally not the case," he said in a CNN documentary titled "Diana" (via Newsweek). "The first person that strayed was the princess. [Charles] went back to see Mrs. Parker-Bowles after he learned about her affair with [her bodyguard, Barry] Mannakee." Allan added that he believes "nobody is the villain," because both young royals were under tremendous pressure at the time.

Diana's affair with Mannakee was documented in season four of Netflix's "The Crown," though not in detail. However, it certainly seems to have been significant for Diana, who called him the "greatest love" she ever had in a series of private tapes (via Oprah Daily). Diana was so head-over-heels for her bodyguard that she was tempted to start a new life with him. Per Oprah Daily, she said she would have been "quite happy to give all this up and to just go off and live with him." He, apparently, approved of her longing words.

Mannakee was later fired in 1986 due to the duo's close relationship. He tragically died in a motorcycle accident a few months later, according to Oprah Daily. Who knows what might have happened if he'd lived?