Who was Oliver Hoare, did he and Princess Diana have an affair and who was his wife Diane?

OLIVER Hoare gained notoriety after he had an affair with Princess Diana.

The married dad-of-three was Prince Charles’ friend and began an affair with his wife after her father, Earl Spencer, died in 1992. Here's more about him.

Who was Oliver Hoare?

The old Etonian art dealer was known for his tryst with Princess Diana

Hoare studied art history at the Sorbonne before joining Christie's in 1967.

He later became a specialist in Islamic art.

In 2005 he was embroiled in an inquiry into the financial dealings of Qatari sheikh Saud Al Thani.

The sheikh was accused of embezzling funds from the country by getting vastly inflated invoices sent for art he was buying for the Qatar state.

But Hoare maintained his innocence, as did Al Thani, and charges against the sheikh were eventually dropped.

Oliver passed away at the age of 73 in France.

He is thought to have had cancer.

Did he have an affair with Princess Diana?

Diana embarked on an affair with art dealer Oliver Hoare, who was 16 years older than her, in the early nineties.

It began after the death of Diana's dad, Earl Spencer, in March 1992.

Hoare, then 46, was a pal of Charles and he and his wife Diane had been guests at Windsor Castle.

Hoare never spoke about their affair but its extent was revealed after Diana died by her ex-bodyguard Ken Wharfe.

He described stumbling upon Hoare half-naked behind a potted bay tree in a Kensington Palace corridor, smoking a cigar.

MORE ON PRINCESS DIANA

Who was his wife Diane?

Oliver Hoare was married to French oil heiress Diane de Waldner.

The couple had three children together - Tristan, Damien and Olivia.

Despite his alleged affair, he stayed with his wife.

But after he cooled the affair, Diana was said to have bombarded his Chelsea home with phone calls.

Prince Charles broke Princess Diana’s heart with this comment… and it’s what caused their marriage to go ‘down the drain’

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