Infogypsies in the palace: how a used car salesman became the coach of Princess Diana Zvezda

The unhappy marriage and subsequent divorce with Prince Charles was a severe psychological trauma for Princess Diana. No wonder she took every opportunity to drown out the pain and then turn to various specialists.

So Diana consulted aromatherapist Sue Beachy, acupuncturist Una Shenley-Tofolo, astrologer Felix Lyle, nutritionist Roderick Lane and even Ayurvedic osteopath Nishi Joshi.

But the closest to her was Stephen Twigg, a former used car salesman who became her massage therapist between 1988 and 1995. Twigg himself combined massage with life coaching and positioned himself as a “healer, metaphysician, spiritual traveler and explorer of the mysteries of life.”

He claimed to have studied spiritual philosophy, including Japanese Zen Buddhism and Chinese Taoism, martial arts, and Japanese tea ceremonies. All of these practices eventually helped him understand how mind and body work together.

Later, Diana admitted that she was indebted to Steve for his help in the most difficult moments.

Twigg advised Diana on what nutritional supplements she should take, gave her talk therapy to help her cope with difficult situations such as visiting “the big houses” (as she called Balmoral, Windsor and Sandringham) and encouraged her to try positive affirmations .

In general, if the “marathon of desire” existed back then, it seems that Diana would have passed it.

In the royal press, Twigg was even nicknamed “Rasputin”, referring to his influence on the royal family.

However, unlike his historical “colleague”, Štěpán was able to make full use of the proximity of the aristocrat.

Twigg claimed to have cured the Princess of Wales of bulimia, and in 1996 published a book called The Kensington Plan, outlining his “food pairing” philosophy to help people lose weight and achieve optimal health. The book became an international bestseller.

In 2012, he published another book, Diana: Her Transformation, in which he claimed to have played a key role in her transformation from a “broken, desperate woman” to an “immensely powerful person” who confidently performed on the world stage.

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