Princess Diana’s intrusion of privacy would’ve been "10 times worse" nowadays.
The late Princess of Wales died in a car crash in 1997 aged 36, but TV presenter and former royal correspondent Nicholas Owen has questioned how she would’ve coped in today’s age of camera phones and social media, admitting people would’ve been snapping her every second.
He said: "I’ve been thinking recently about the Princess of Wales – with the 20th anniversary of her death next year I’ve been asked to do a few things.
"I mean, imagine how she’d have coped in the world today. Imagine how many selfies she’d have been asked to be in.
"Every mobile phone would have tracked her every step. It would have been five, 10 times worse."
Nicholas, 69, clashed with Prince Philip on occasions, but admits despite their disagreements, he considers the 95-year-old royal to be an "extraordinary man".
He said: "The Duke of Edinburgh is always … a very interesting person to meet.
"He’s famous for the occasional acid aside, and I’ve had one or two of those from him.
"But I don’t mind that: when you consider all he’s had to do over so many years – he and the queen were married just after the Second World War – the way he’s carried off his role as consort has been amazing.
"I think he’s an extraordinary man."
What’s more, ITN’s former royal correspondent had spats with Philip’s son Prince Charles on several occasions, but insists they got on "pretty well" overall and he has since become an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust.
He added to Country Life magazine: "Then there was the Prince of Wales. He’s about a year younger than me, and I always thought to myself, well, I was divorced father of two children as well, way back; I know how difficult that can be.
"There was a quite bit of identity of interest there – of course he lived a very different life from me and we didn’t always get on. There were times when we did fall out a bit.
"But overall we got on pretty well."
Nicholas Owen: Diana’s intrusion would’ve been worse today
