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In the tense BBC drama which concluded on Sunday, fictional Prime Minister Julia Montague and her bodyguard, David Budd, have a secret relationship.
It has been compared to the Princess of Wales, who once described how she wished she could “give it all up” to live with her former bodyguard, believed to be in reference of her personal protection officer Barry Mannakee.
Mr Mannakee was a police officer for the Royal Protection Squad and was assigned to protect the Princess in 1985.
But after a year of service he was transferred without appeal to the Diplomatic Protection Squad after his and Diana’s relationship was deemed “inappropriate”.
But Mr Manakee was killed in May 1987 in a motorbike accident. He crashed his motorcycle into 17-year-old Nicola Chopp, a new driver who had just passed her test six weeks before the fatal accident.
A secret tape recorded by Diana’s voice coach in 1992 revealed the Princess saying she would “give it all up” to live with her former bodyguard.
She also revealed how she was in love with a member of security, though never referenced her former bodyguard by name.
She said: “I was only happy when he was around…[his death was] the biggest blow of my life.”
The Princes said in the unearthed recordings she believed was Mannakee was “bumped off” – but did not want to take the accusations to the public realm.
The tape prompted Met Police chief Sir John Stevens to reopen the case surrounding his death – but further investigations concluded his death was not suspicious.
Last week Princess Diana’s pathologist allayed claims she was pregnant at the time of her death in Paris in 1997.
Dr Richard Shepherd said royal fans always ask him “was she pregnant?” after he examined Princess Diana’s body for an official inquiry into her tragic death.
He said: “People asked: ‘Was she beautiful?’ ‘Was she peaceful?’ ‘Was she pregnant?’
“I always made sure I never said anything – in all the cases of public interest I was involved with – that hadn’t already appeared in the press.
“Pathologically there was no evidence that Princess Diana was pregnant, but some women say they know they’re pregnant from the moment of conception. Was she one of those?”
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