Princess Diana Allegedly Aspired to Be America’s First Lady, Butler Reveals: "She Knew a Billionaire..."

Princess Diana's life took a complete 180 after she divorced her former husband Prince Charles. Paul Burrell, Diana's former butler, made the bombshell claim in his book, The Way We Were, that Diana wanted to become the First Lady of the United States. As bizarre as it may sound, she had a way of turning her dream into reality courtesy of a billionaire that she knew. 

Burrell told Good Morning America's Kate Snow, "She knew a billionaire in America, and she suggested to him that if they were together...his yearning to run for politics could lead to the White House, that one day she could be the first lady and she'd visit Britain on a state visit," as per ABC News. Additionally, Burrell said that she looked up to stylish First Ladies of America and dreamed of becoming one. 

"She's been a huge fan of Jackie Onassis for years, and a huge admirer, too, of Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton. But Jackie Onassis had the edge," continued Burrell, adding that she also fantasized about "redecorating the White House." However, that fantasy could turn into a reality had that American billionaire and Diana married. "They would have been a golden couple." noted the ex-butler. Despite the potential, the mystery man wasn't the true love of Diana's life. 

Nor was Charles or Dodi Al-Fayed, whom she was dating at the time of her death in August 1997. According to Burrell, she was madly and deeply in love with a Pakistani surgeon Hasnat Khan whom she accidentally met at a hospital while visiting a friend. The mother of two kids, Prince William, and Prince Harry, was smitten by the doctor, however, their 2-year relationship died a natural death. 

In her lifetime, she struggled to find a stable partner. But after her tumultuous marriage to Charles ended in 1992, she revamped her life and her public image. She broke away from the shackles of monarchy and slipped into a modern, more chic persona. Starting from her modest outfits as a royal member to professional suits, she channeled a more confident Diana. 

Royal biographer Andrew Morton wrote in his book, "Her first decision was to throw out the mahogany double bed she had slept in at Kensington Palace," as per Vanity Fair. Following the furniture, she re-painted the walls, along with changing the hardware like locks, and also changed her private contact number. After that, she did the unthinkable. To get rid of her traumatic past, she ordered all the belongings of Charles to be burned in a bonfire at Highgrove.

Sam McKnight, her hairdresser behind the iconic short hairdo post-divorce, recalled, "She wanted independence, and to appear strong—the haircutting was part of this. I think in some way, she didn’t want to hide behind her hair or her heavy fringe anymore." And needless to mention, her new executive style immediately grew on people who seemed to have accepted her transformation from a "trophy wife" demeanor to a "contemporary career woman."