Princess Diana was reportedly planning a move to a Malibu, California mansion with her sons, Princes William and Harry, before her tragic death in 1997. The claim comes from multiple friends and former staff, including her voice coach Stewart Pearce and former butler Paul Burrell.
Dodi Fayed's Malibu Purchase
When Diana and Dodi Fayed began dating in July 1997, Fayed purchased the former beachside estate of Julie Andrews and her husband Blake Edwards for £6 million. The property featured six bedrooms, a tennis court, and a pool. The estate was designed by Cher's designer Ron Wilson, who described it as "little dressier than Spanish - more Tuscan in feeling, a Mediterranean casa colonica overlooking the Pacific."
Plans for a New Life
In 2021, Diana's voice coach Stewart Pearce stated that Diana had been considering moving with her sons to live with Fayed. Paul Burrell, Diana's former butler, told Good Morning America in 2003 that Diana hoped to turn the estate into her dream home. Burrell recalled: "A lovely house…saw all the plans for it. It was going to be in Malibu. I saw the plans. We sat on the floor, spread out all the maps and the layout of the house." Burrell added that Diana wanted to give William and Harry a "better life," saying she said: "This is our new life, just won't it be great, think of the lifestyle the boys - nobody's judgmental here in America, you don't have the class system, you don't have the establishment."
Diana's Hollywood Ambitions
Pearce also claimed that Diana was hoping for a career in Hollywood, but not as an actress. She reportedly wanted to work behind the camera in a producing and directing role. Diana had only been dating Fayed for a few weeks, with the relationship starting in July 1997. Both were tragically killed in a car crash in late August of that year. The Malibu house was sold the following year.
Parallels with Prince Harry
These plans echo those undertaken by Prince Harry after he married Meghan Markle in 2018. The couple stepped back as senior royals and left England for California in 2020. Diana's son claimed his wife had been hounded by the media and unsupported by the Royal Family in a similar fashion to his mother and didn't want "history repeating itself."
