Vanity Fair's September issue features Princess Diana's 1995-to-1997 relationship with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, reporting the two were madly in love before her untimely death.
A close friend of Diana, Jemima Khan, told the magazine, "Diana was madly in love with Hasnat Khan and wanted to marry him, even if that meant living in Pakistan, and that's one of the reasons why we became friends."
Diana's secret romance with Khan helped her get over Prince Charles, but was also her chance at normal life.
"[Diana] came to visit me twice in Pakistan to help fund-raise for Imran's hospital, but both times she also went to meet his family secretly to discuss the possibility of marriage to Hasnat," Jemina told the magazine. "She wanted to know how hard it had been for me to adapt to life in Pakistan."
The princess' visits were in effort to get to know Khan's family, seeking the approval of his mother, Naheed, according to Vanity Fair.
"[For a son] to marry an English girl is every conservative Pashtun mother's worst nightmare," Jemima said. "You send your son to be educated in England and he comes back with an English bride. It's something they dread."
Diana and Khan reportedly discussed marriage, and looked into someone marrying them without the press getting involved. According to Vanity Fair, Khan believed it was a terrible idea.
The downfall of her relationship with Khan was he did not want to marry due to fear of being in the public eye.
"He hated the thought of being in the glare of publicity for the rest of his life," Jemina told Vanity Fair.
The upcoming film "Diana," starring Naomi Watts, will focus on the last two years of her life, including her relationship with Khan. Khan did not want to be involved with the biopic.
