James Hewitt, the reclusive former lover of Princess Diana, said in an interview on Australian television that he is not the father of Prince Harry, although he said previously that he was involved with Diana for a year before Harry was born.
Hewitt was asked by Australian show “Sunday Night” whether he was Harry’s biological father, and he replied, “No, I’m not,” according to the New York Post's Page Six. Although Hewitt has always denied being Harry’s dad, rumors have persisted because Harry bears a resemblance to Hewitt.
Hewitt’s affair with Diana began when he was her horse-riding instructor in the mid-1980s. He said that the two spent time together secretly at his farm in Devon over a five-year period until, as an officer in the Army, he was called away to serve during the Gulf War. The pair then split up permanently when their affair hit the media, according to The Sun.
Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, said on the same show that it isn’t possible for Hewitt to be Harry’s father because Harry was a toddler when Diana met Hewitt, according to The Sun. During the time of the affair, Prince Charles was reported by many in the media to be having his own affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, who is now his wife.
In the interview, Hewitt said that the rumors were “worse for [Harry]” than they are for him, Page Six reported.
Some Twitter users seemed more concerned about Hewitt’s new mustache than about the persistent paternity rumors.