The newly-published political memoirs of Alastair Campbell, former spin doctor to Tony Blair, throws a little light in dark corners here and there.

The Queen at Prince William’s Passing Out, Sandhurst

He claims that Princess Diana wanted her son William to inherit the Throne directly from the Queen and bypass Prince Charles. Now this is not new, as Diana implied as much in her explosive Panorama interview following the publication of Andrew Morton’s book in which she secretly collaborated.

On January 21, 1997, three months before Blair became Prime Minister, Campbell says that Diana dined with the Blairs and the Campbells at a friend’s home in East London. He claims, “while she was looking for things in the kitchen, I asked about William, and she said she would have some influence over what happened to him and she was clearly determined he would be King.”

It’s all a bit vague the way it’s written, but it rings true nevertheless.

What’s interesting is the phrase, “she said she would have some influence over what happened …” Seeing that the succession is determined by Act of Parliament and not by a divorced Princess of Wales, it’s hard to take it seriously at first glance.

Could this be the reason that she so assiduously collected all that material about Charles, even interviewing and taping his staff? Tapes which have since gone missing.

Diana, the toppler of Kings is a new string to her bow — if it’s all true, of course.