Friend of Diana wants Channel 4 to scrap its 'intrusive' new documentary

The programme contains private recordings Rosa Monckton believe amount to therapy, in which Diana discusses her sex life

Princess Diana, with Rosa Monckton on her left, switching on the Christmas Lights in Bond Street, London, Britain - 1993 (Rex Features)

A close friend of Princess Diana is urging Channel 4 to scrap an upcoming documentary about the royal.

Rosa Monckton states Diana: In Her Own Words utilises private video footage Diana made as part of a course of speech coaching, claiming the confessional nature of what was filmed - including conversations about Diana's sex life with Prince Charles - amounted to therapy.

Therefore, Monckton believes their inclusion is both an "intrusion" and "outrage" that violates Diana's right to privacy, The Guardian reports.

"It was like therapy, what she was doing," she stated. "I was around at that time. It was very wrong of him to ask all those leading questions and it was naive of her to have agreed to do it, but nonetheless it was like a therapy and therapy should remain private."

Her words now add to previous statements by Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, who also demanded the show be scrapped under the belief it would be hurtful to Prince William and Harry.

Channel 4 stated it has been in correspondence with Spencer but believes the recordings, while made in private, are "an important historical source".

"This doesn’t belong in the public domain," Monckton stated. "It is a betrayal of her privacy and of the family’s privacy. I certainly don’t think they should be broadcast. The [tapes] should be dispatched to the young princes."

There are reportedly concerns over whether the Channel 4 documentary was made as a consequence, at least in part, of Prince William and Prince Harry's recent strategy of speaking more honestly about the emotional impact of their mother's death, as its 20th anniversary closes in.

The pair already co-operated with BBC and ITV on recent documentaries, which marked a major departure from royal protocol of carefully guarding private matters. Their spokesperson declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: "The excerpts from the tapes recorded with Peter Settelen have never been shown before on British television and are an important historical source. We carefully considered all the material used in the documentary and, though the recordings were made in private, the subjects covered are a matter of public record and provide a unique insight into the preparations Diana undertook to gain a public voice and tell her own personal story, which culminated in her later interview for Panorama."

"This unique portrait of Diana gives her a voice and places it front and centre at a time when the nation will be reflecting on her life and death."