A Princess of Wales

Chapter Seventeen: Breaking Up

19th of May 1997 - Battersea Park, London

Looking at herself in the rear view mirror, Diana smiled to herself as she waited for Hasnat to arrive for their date; she was most eager to see her boyfriend, she couldn't imagine her life without him beside her. 

The two of them had been talking about marriage, it was something that they both wanted even if Hasnat was uneasy about the media presence in her life. 

Spotting his car pulling up, Diana smiled happily before she climbed from the car making sure to grab her sunglasses as she got out to hide her face. 

It was rare that they had time like this together, especially in a public setting but Diana was itching to get out of her apartment especially with the children away at school for the last few weeks of term. 

Hasnat smiled weakly as he spotted Diana coming towards him, he stuffed his hands into his pockets as she did a little run to him across the grass. 

Diana wrapping her arms around him and held him close, whispering how much she had missed him in his ear as Hasnat awkwardly patted her back. 

The conversation that he wanted to have with Diana was not going to be an easy one, it was one that had played on his mind for weeks and he dreaded having to speak with her on the subject. 

Diana sent him an odd look when she pulled back, a frown on her face slightly as she searched Hasnat's face wondering what was going on with him; but she shrugged it off to link arms with him. 

The two of them slowly making their way through the park away from the car park, Diana filling the silence between them with small talk which Hasnat nodded along with what she was saying. 

Diana had always been the more chatter of the two, however today she couldn't help but notice the silence from her boyfriend that set her on edge as they walked slowly through the park. 

They had been walking for ten minutes before Diana pulled Hasnat to a stop, she stared at her boyfriend wondering why he was being so awkward with her; her mind racing as she considered the fact that he might want to ask her to marry him. 

It was something that the pair of them had discussed and Diana had been open to the idea of becoming Mrs Hasnat Khan rather than Diana, Princess of Wales. 

Becoming the wife of the British-Pakistani heart and lung surgeon seemed like the perfect idea to her, she wanted more children and she was sure her children would love a bigger family.

"Hasnat?" Diana said wanting answers, he was never this off with her on their dates and she adored him; she was planning their futures together, she was certain about what she wanted. 

Hasnat sighed pulling away from Diana, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he lowered his head; this was not the place for the conversation that he wanted to have with her but he saw no other choice. 

"I don't think I can do this anymore," Hasnat admitted softly with a shake of his head, it was something that had slowly dawned on him that he couldn't stay with her; there were things that he just wasn't willing to compromise about himself. 

His privacy was one of them, since the press had found out about them he had been hounded at work and he saw what the papers had to say about Diana not dating a Christian man. 

"I value my privacy, I value my work, I won't have my life turned into a media circus," Hasnat declared quietly, he shuffled knowing that it was better to end all of this now. 

There was no escaping the hints that Diana had been dropping, he didn't think she'd so easily let go of the life she currently lead and take such a massive step down to the life that he could provide for her.