KEY POINTS
- Trump's alleged obsession with Diana resurfaces after his meeting with Prince William
- Trump later claimed he could have dated Diana—comments that resurfaced in old interviews
- Prince William and Trump spoke recently, but Diana was unlikely to be part of the conversation
When Prince William met Donald Trump after the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral on 6 December, the two reportedly had a 'great' conversation, according to the US president. But one topic that almost certainly didn't come up? Trump's infatuation with William's late mother, Princess Diana.
In the 1990s, Donald Trump apparently harbored a strong attraction to the People's Princess. That infatuation has resurfaced in the headlines after William's meeting with Trump, thanks to a revealing piece by Selina Scott, a close friend of Diana, cited in a 2015 Sunday Times article and revisited by Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor Kristin Contino.
Trump's Obsession With Princess Diana
Scott claimed that Trump sent Diana extravagant floral arrangements to Kensington Palace, often consisting of roses and orchids worth hundreds of pounds. Rather than being flattered, Diana reportedly found the gestures unsettling. 'It had begun to feel as if Trump was stalking her,' Scott recalled. Diana, feeling creeped out, once confided to Scott: 'He gives me the creeps.'
The broadcaster advised Diana to simply get rid of the floral bombardment: 'Just throw them in the bin,' she told her. And that, reportedly, is exactly what Diana did.
While Trump has since claimed he had no romantic interest in Diana, his past remarks suggest otherwise. In a 1997 interview on the Howard Stern Show, when the host asked whether Trump thought he 'could've nailed' the Princess of Wales, Trump answered, 'I think I could have.'
By 2000, Trump doubled down. When Stern asked if he would have slept with Diana, Trump replied, 'Without even hesitation.'
These comments are bolstered by what Trump himself wrote in his 1997 book 'The Art of the Comeback.' In it he said, 'I only have one regret in the women department – that I never had the opportunity to court Lady Diana Spencer. I met her on a number of occasions. I couldn't help but notice how she moved people. She lit up the room with her charm, her presence. She was a genuine princess – a dream lady.'
A Denial Years Later
Despite the documented interviews and Selina Scott's published account, Trump has pushed back on the narrative. In a 2016 interview with Piers Morgan, Trump claimed the stalking accusations were 'totally false.'
'I liked her,' he said. 'I met her in New York once standing in line and we were all shaking hands and that was the only time I ever met her.'
Still, the contrast between his past public remarks and his more recent denial raises questions about his memory or motivation in downplaying the situation.
When William Met Trump
Fast forward to December 2024: Prince William's recent conversation with Trump when they met in Paris, as reported in New York Post, lasted just over half an hour and reportedly included talk about King Charles and Princess Kate.
'I asked him about his wife and he said she's doing well,' Trump told the outlet. 'I asked him about his father and his father is fighting very hard, and he loves his father and he loves his wife, so it was sad.'
Interestingly, Trump seemed to admire William's appearance, calling him 'handsome' and saying he looked 'better in person.'
Diana was known for her poise and diplomacy even in the face of unwanted attention. It seems her son William is walking a similar path, engaging with controversial figures like Trump with grace. Whether or not William is aware of Trump's past comments about his mother, he kept the meeting focused on the present—and left the bouquets of the past firmly in the bin.
