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Princess Diana once asked cafe owner to throw out paparazzi

A London cafe owner has revealed how he once threw out paparazzi at Princess Diana’s request.

Abdul Daqud, who owns Café Diana in Kensington, says he was asked by the royal personally to remove members of the media from his establishment opposite the Kensington Palace gates.

“Princess Diana, she’s always been followed by paparazzi,” Abdul tells Yahoo UK’s The Royal Story.

“One day the paparazzi was waiting, waiting since the morning. At four o’clock they give up, they put all their cameras on the table and they start having their food.

“Suddenly Princess Diana came out, driving her car and stopped the car in the middle of the street.

“And she called me. And she said to me, ‘Abdul, throw them out!’

“I said, ‘yes ma’am.’”

Princess Diana, one of the most famous women in the world at one point, was followed by paparazzi almost everywhere she went [Photo: Getty]
Princess Diana, one of the most famous women in the world at one point, was followed by paparazzi almost everywhere she went [Photo: Getty]

Cafe Diana owner couldn’t believe his luck

Abdul named his cafe after the Princess of Wales after realising his business’ close proximity to the royal’s residence.

The cafe walls are filled with images of the late royal and was visited by Diana once, who ordered a cappuccino, says Abdul.

“I named the café after I saw Princess Diana coming out of the gate. I didn’t know that my shop was opposite Kensington Palace and Princess Diana was living there. I thought, this is the best thing that has happened this morning for me. I will call it Café Diana,” he recalls.

“Surprisingly she came after a few weeks. It was a big shock. Then I said to my waitress, ‘Please ask her what she likes to drink’. She said, ‘I like cappuccino’. And when I took the cappuccino for her my hands were shaking.

“Five minutes later we were just like friends.”

Prince Harry follows in Diana’s footsteps

Now it’s Diana’s son Prince Harry who has laid the ground rules for paparazzi, after he and wife Meghan officially stepped away from royal duties this month.

In the BBC documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Prince Harry admitted to journalist Tom Bradby that his mother’s tragic death is a “wound that festers”.

“I think [of] being part of this family, in this role, in this job every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash,” he said of Diana’s fame.

“It takes me straight back, so in that respect, it’s the worst reminder of her life as opposed to the best.”

January 20th 2020 - Buckingham Palace has announced that Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will no longer use "royal highness" titles and will not receive public money for their royal duties. Additionally, as part of the terms of surrendering their royal responsibilities, Harry and Meghan will repay the $3.1 million cost of taxpayers' money that was spent renovating Frogmore Cottage - their home near Windsor Castle. - January 9th 2020 - Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex and Duchess Meghan of Sussex intend to step back their duties and responsibilities as senior members of the British Royal Family. - File Photo by: zz/KGC-107/STAR MAX/IPx 2018 6/9/18 Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex, The Duchess of Sussex and members of The Royal Family at the Trooping The Colour ceremonies as The Queen marks her official birthday - including an inspection of the troops from the Household Division, the Horseguards Parade March in Whitehall and watching a fly-past from the balcony at Buckingham Palace. (London, England, UK)
Harry and Meghan will no longer be 'royal highnesses'. Photo: AP

Earlier this week Prince Harry has threatened legal action over paparazzi photos taken of Meghan and Archie in a park in Canada.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are making it clear they want to be left alone by issuing a cease and desist letter to the UK media.

And when Harry opened up about ‘Megxit’ in a remarkably candid speech at one of his final royal engagements he spoke about the ‘powerful force’ the media is and how it contributed to his decision to step back with his young family.

“When I lost my mum 23 years ago, you took me under your wing. You’ve looked out for me for so long, but the media is a powerful force, and my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us,” he said.

With additional reporting by Yahoo UK.

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