IT WAS dubbed another "sensational" royal scandal which would shame the British monarchy. Yet last night the editor of the Sun newspaper admitted that video stills, printed in the paper and supposedly showing the Princess of Wales cavorting with her former lover, Mr James Hewitt, amounted to "one of the most elaborate hoaxes of the decade.
After apologising profusely to Princess Diana, Mr Hewitt and the tabloid's "11 million readers", the editor, Mr Stuart Higgins, said the paper had bought the video last week during a "clandestine" meeting but had been "conned by cunning fraudsters".
"We made our best endeavours to corroborate the contents of the film, with independent witnesses confirming the apparent identity of the princess and Mr Hewitt. We also hired the services of surveillance experts to assess and give their verdicts on the original source of the film," he said.
The video, which the Sun believed was five years old and proved Princess Diana's claims that she was under surveillance throughout her marriage, showed a woman stripping down to her bra and gym shorts and rolling on the floor with a young man, before the couple begin to kiss.
Several British news organisations had broadcast the video, suggesting that it may have been used to "blackmail" Princess Diana during her bitter divorce negotiations accusations which were vigorously dismissed by Buckingham Palace. "Princess Diana admitted an affair with James Hewitt when she appeared on [BBC's] Panorama, months before the divorce negotiations began," a palace spokesman said.
Last night a spokeswoman for the princess confirmed that she had studied the footage but had not recognised herself or Mr Hewitt. Her former lover, who told the Sun that he would not have been surprised if they had been filmed, said he was now taking legal advice over the hoax.
However, Princess Diana will have to brace herself and study yet more pictures today as the Daily Mirror promises to reveal the "true story" behind the hoax alongside "a series of remarkable photographs".