EXCLUSIVE: Royal Family's Final Betrayal to Diana Revealed — How The Firm Refused to Allow People's Princess to Be Buried With Poem Written by Her 'Last Lover'
The Firm refused Diana to be buried with a poem her last lover wrote, exposing a final betrayal.
Sept. 9 2025, Published 3:03 p.m. ET
Princess Diana was dealt a final betrayal by the Royal Family, with sources telling RadarOnline.com The Firm callously blocked her from being buried with a poem he wrote for her and the engagement ring he had bought shortly before their deaths.
Diana, who was killed in a Paris car crash with Al Fayed in August 1997 aged just 36, was laid to rest in a black Catherine Walker coatdress and rosary beads given by Mother Teresa.
Royal Family Ignored Diana's Final Wishes
Diana was laid to rest in a black Catherine Walker coatdress.
But those close to the tragic royal and her rumored lover Fayed say her final wishes were ignored, with the gifts and poem from the billionaire heir kept out of her coffin.
"The refusal to let Diana be buried with Dodi's poem or the ring was the final cruelty," a source close to the Al Fayed family told us.
"It symbolized the establishment's determination to erase their love story. She adored vibrant colors and freedom, yet they dressed her in black with religious tokens she would never have chosen."
Al Fayed's Burial Requests Denied
A rosary from Mother Teresa was placed in her hands.
During the inquest into Diana's death, Michael Cole, then director of public affairs at Harrods, revealed Dodi had placed a poem to Diana on a silver plaque beneath her pillow at his Paris apartment.
The verse was returned to Di's family with his business tycoon father Mohamed Al Fayed's request that it be placed in her coffin – a plea that was rejected.
Cole also disclosed Dodi kept a gold cigar clipper engraved "With love from Diana" and cufflinks originally gifted to her by her father, Earl Spencer.
Al Fayed, who died in 2023 aged 94, had long argued his son's relationship with Diana was genuine and serious.
He displayed the diamond ring, inscribed in French with the words "Tell Me Yes," at Harrods after it too was denied a place in her burial.
"What that ring meant we will probably never know," Cole told the inquest.
Princess Called Yacht Trip 'Magical'
Letters showed Diana called her yacht trip with Dodi 'magical.'
Letters written by Diana in the month before her death underscored the intimacy of her bond with Dodi.
On Kensington Palace stationery dated 6 August 1997, she described a six-day holiday aboard Dodi's family's yacht, the Jonikal, as "the most magical six days on the ocean waves."
She added the laughter and happiness they shared was a "serious treat."
Despite this, royal aides and some close friends sought to downplay the depth of the romance.
Rosa Monckton, a confidante of the princess, told the inquest jury assembled to probe Di's death the relationship was not as strong as portrayed.
But Al Fayed insisted the couple was on the verge of engagement and accused the Duke of Edinburgh of orchestrating a plot to prevent their marriage – allegations consistently denied by the palace.
Spencers Insisted Only Official Symbols Be Included
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Aides insisted only official and religious items could go in her coffin.
The tension extended even to Diana's burial.
A source familiar with the negotiations at the time said: "The Spencers and the Royal Family were adamant that only items reflecting Diana's official role and religious image could go with her.
"They did not want anything linking her publicly to Dodi. For Mohamed Al Fayed, that decision was devastating."
For Dodi's family, the rejection was compounded by reports he was buried with the cigar clipper Diana had given him.
"They had each other's gifts in life," the source said – adding: "But in death, only one side was honored. To the Al Fayeds, that felt like the last nail in the coffin of Diana's independence."
