Princess Diana was "a breath of fresh air" to the royal family, according to former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter.
The 76-year-old radio commentator previously worked closely with the late royal – who tragically died in a car crash in France 1997 aged just 36 – and her ex-husband Prince Charles as their media manager, and has said she "gave a lot" to the members of the royal family.
Recalling a time when Princess Diana threw him a thoughtful birthday party, Dickie said: "She gave a lot to the royal family and we all called her a breath of fresh air.
"One of my favourite memories was when Diana threw a birthday party for my 50th at her apartment in Kensington Palace.
"My mother and wife were there, and my daughter and I sat either side of Diana. She pulled out all the stops with balloons, party poppers and champagne.
"Her chef made me a cake in the shape of a brick mobile telephone with the line: ‘You’re never alone when Dickie has got his phone.’"
And Dickie also recalled the first time he met the late royal, when she claimed the idea of getting married to Prince Charles – with whom she had two children Prince William, 34, and Prince Harry, 32 – was "daunting".
He told Hello magazine ahead of the 20th anniversary since her death, which will be marked in August this year: "I first met Diana three days before her wedding day [in 1981] over a cup of tea in Buckingham Palace. My first impressions were she wasn’t this ‘shy Di’ at all, she was very forthcoming. When I asked how she viewed the day, she said ‘Daunting’, but she needn’t have had any fears – she played it very well."
Dickie Arbiter: Princess Diana was ‘a breath of fresh air’
