# Princess Diana's secret night drives > Former royal press secretary claims Diana secretly drove to help sex workers and homeless. - Title: Princess Diana's secret night drives · Dailymail | Shortify - Summary: Former royal press secretary claims Diana secretly drove to help sex workers and homeless. Princess Diana secretly drove around London at night to hand money… - Keywords: princess diana, dickie arbiter, kensington palace, sex workers, homeless, royal press secretary, charles spencer, swan song, earl spencer, diana funeral, royals, celebrity - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/royals/article-16202737/Princess-Diana-secretly-drove-London-night-handing-money-sex-workers-says-Dickie-Arbiter.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-10-13T16:00:49+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: princess diana, dickie arbiter, kensington palace, sex workers, homeless, royal press secretary, charles spencer, swan song, earl spencer, diana funeral, royals, celebrity ## Princess Diana's secret missions Princess Diana secretly drove around London alone at night handing out money to sex workers and checking how homeless people were coping. > She would try to escape, telling her protection officer: 'I'm not going anywhere tonight. You can have the night off.' ## Dickie Arbiter's role Former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter worked closely with King Charles and Princess Diana from 1988 through their divorce. > He worked closely with King Charles, then Prince of Wales, and Princess Diana from 1988, through their separation and divorce ## Diana's loneliness Diana felt lonely and bored after leaving Kensington Palace at night with only a telephone to call friends. > She had to give security her friends' names, addresses, car numbers, what time they were coming and when they were leaving ## Secret missions Diana would slip out of palace to drive around Paddington to hand money to sex workers and check on homeless people. > She would try to escape, telling her protection officer: 'I'm not going anywhere tonight. You can have the night off.' ## Arbiter's criticism Arbiter called Earl Spencer's memoir 'boring' and said it was 'long on him and short on factual accuracy'. > He said: 'It's just not in Charles's DNA to be the sort of person Spencer is portraying' ## Spencer's claims Earl Spencer's book claims Charles sounded 'giddily elated' after Diana's death in Paris car crash. > Spencer's book includes a string of explosive claims, most notably that Charles sounded 'giddily elated' when the pair spoke on the phone after Diana's death in a Paris car crash ## Buckingham Palace response Buckingham Palace said grief can 'cloud reason' and 'colour memory' after Diana's death. > Buckingham Palace hit back with a rare statement, saying grief can 'cloud reason' and 'colour memory' ## Arbiter's view on Charles Arbiter said Charles was 'a wreck' the day Diana returned and was not 'like somebody who had won the lottery'. > He got off that plane and I don't think I'd ever seen him that distraught since the death of his great uncle, Lord Mountbatten ## Arbiter's book Arbiter's new book On Duty with the Royals covers 12 years as royal press secretary. > Arbiter, 86, sat down with host Luke Blackall to mark the release of his new book, On Duty with the Royals: The Inside Story of the Modern Monarchy ## Diana's death Princess Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997, leading to Charles's funeral arrangements. > He was in charge of the media operation for her funeral in 1997 ## Arbiter's criticism of Spencer Arbiter said Spencer's book had 'nothing new to say' after 30 years of similar stories. > I wonder why people can't just let Diana rest in peace. We have had nearly 30 years of the same things being regurgitated. There's nothing new to say ## Charles's reaction Charles was reportedly distraught when Diana died and did not 'win the lottery' as Spencer claimed. > He got off that plane and I don't think I'd ever seen him that distraught since the death of his great uncle, Lord Mountbatten ## Diana's final days Diana was reportedly lonely and bored after Diana's death in 1997. > She would try to escape, telling her protection officer: 'I'm not going anywhere tonight. You can have the night off.' ## Arbiter's book release Arbiter's book On Duty with the Royals is released with his 12 years of royal press experience. > Arbiter, 86, sat down with host Luke Blackall to mark the release of his new book, On Duty with the Royals: The Inside Story of the Modern Monarchy ## Spencer's memoir Earl Spencer's memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister claims Charles was 'giddily elated' after Diana's death. > Spencer's book includes a string of explosive claims, most notably that Charles sounded 'giddily elated' when the pair spoke on the phone after Diana's death in a Paris car crash ## Diana's death impact Diana's death in 1997 led to Charles's grief and the need for a royal funeral. > He was in charge of the media operation for her funeral in 1997 ## Key takeaway Princess Diana secretly drove around London at night to hand money to sex workers and check on homeless people, according to former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter.