Reading today about another rare interview by Dr. Hasnat Khan - this time around about him being among the victims of the phone hacking scandal - it is becoming clear, he will always remain, the man, Princess Diana called: "Mr. Wonderful."
I met Hasnat on 2004 in London. He told me about the charity he and the late Princess created. One could not miss his devotion to his profession. We kept in touch on the phone, via emails and face to face. Hasnat looked trapped. He was trying to move on with his life after the tragic death of Diana in a car accident. Yet - the media was chasing after him, for his story - a love affair between a glamorous Princess and a low key Pakistani doctor. Hasnat told me, how he was trying to avoid attention. At one point - he introduced me to his uncle Omar and his wife Jane. The couple who hosted some of the meetings between Diana and Hasnat at their then London home, added more stories about the 24/7 media attention, they were forced to cope with.
Hasnat tried to leave London. He traveled in Singapore, Malaysia ... At one point - he sent me cheerful text messages, announcing that he got married!
Was it the Diana's shadow or his - own demons?? The marriage hasn't last long.
Benazir Bhutto was fascinated with the love story between Hasnat and Diana. She grilled me over lunches and dinners in New York, for every little detail about it. She needed to know ... It made me wonder if she was talking about the late Diana, who had been searching for love, or - about herself ...
* More about it in my new book "My Benazir" See links at www.daphnebarak.com
Recently - I had Hasnat on my mind again. My friend Tim Haslam told me about his upcoming film: It is about Hasnat and Diana. He referred to my interview with Imran Khan which reveals some of the drama, the couple faced shortly before Diana died.
Feeling loyal to both sides, Tim and Hasnat, I chose to know as little as possible about the project. I was thinking, how it would effect the private Hasnat, to see his story (even if not accurate) on the screen, promoted on bill boards. On the other hand - Tim had a good story to tell, no doubt.
So 15 years after he saw Diana for the last time, Hasnat is still known as Diana's lover rather than (a fine) Dr. Khan. He can save people's lives (actor Omar Sharif told me, he had done so), or build a new hospital in Pakistan ... Still he is called: "Mr. Wonderful."
Why? Perhaps - like my late friend Benazir - we are all longing to find a "Mr. Wonderful??"
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