Hasnat Ahmad Khan ( ur, حسنات احمد خان; born 1 April 1958) is a

British-Pakistani British Pakistanis ( ur, (Bratānia men maqīm pākstānī); also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani Britons) are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan. This includes people born in ...

heart and lung surgeon. He is widely known for his romantic relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales, from 1995 to 1997.

Early life and education

Khan was born on 1 April 1958 in Jhelum, a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan, in a

Mohmand The Mohmand ( ps, مومند) or Mohmand is a prominent tribe of Pashtun people. They are based primarily in the Mohmand territory, which is located in Nangarhar, Afghanistan and Mohmand Agency, Pakistan. Most people of the Mohmand tribe sp ...

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

family.Timur Moon
"Di’s doctor finds a doctor in Lahore"
, ''The Telegraph'', Calcutta, 19 May 2003, Retrieved 25 August 2008. He is the eldest of four children. His father, Rashid Khan, a graduate of

the London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

, ran a glass factory. Hasnat Khan is a distant cousin of

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

, former

prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pa ...

Career

Until 1991 he worked in Sydney, Australia and then began to work in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He served at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London from 1995 to 1996, then he began to work at the

London Chest Hospital The London Chest Hospital, located in Bethnal Green in London, adjacent to Victoria Park, was a hospital with a national reputation for treatment of cardiac and pulmonary disease. Since 1999 it had been run by the Barts Health NHS Trust. It clos ...

. In 2000, he worked at St Bart's hospital, after which he served at

Harefield Hospital Harefield Hospital is a health institution in Harefield, London Borough of Hillingdon, England. It is managed by the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. History The first hospital on the site was the No. 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital ...

. In November 2007, he resigned from the post and began to head a cardiac hospital in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. As of August 2013, Khan is working as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at

Basildon University Hospital Basildon University Hospital is an acute general hospital in Basildon, Essex. It is managed by the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital opened in 1973. Facilities which it replaced included St. Andrew's Hospital in Bill ...

Personal life

Relationship with the Princess of Wales

Khan had a two-year relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales, who is said to have described him as "Mr Wonderful." In May 1996, Diana visited the Khan family in Lahore. Diana's butler

Paul Burrell Paul Burrell (born 6 June 1958) is a former servant of the British Royal Household and latterly butler to Princess Diana. Background and Royal Household career Burrell was born and raised in Grassmoor, Derbyshire, a coal-mining village. His ...

said in testimony at her 2008 inquest that Diana described Khan as her soulmate. Diana ended the relationship in July 1997. Diana's friends are reported to have described Hasnat as the "love of her life" and to have spoken of her distress when she ended their relationship. He, however, is said to be reticent about speaking of how much he may have meant to her or even how much she meant to him."Diana's lover divorces wife"
, ''Times of India'', 20 July 2008, Retrieved 25 August 2008. Khan attended Diana's funeral ceremony at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

in September, 1997. The heart surgeon told the police in 2004 that he doubted she had been pregnant when she died because she always took her contraceptive pills. In March 2008, Khan said in a written statement to Lord Justice Scott Baker's inquest into Diana's death that their relationship had begun in the late summer of 1995, and that although they had talked about getting married he believed that he would find the inevitable media attention "hell." Khan also said he believed the car crash which caused Diana's death was a tragic accident."Diana jury told of surgeon affair"
, BBC News, 3 March 2008, Retrieved 25 August 2008.

Marriage

Khan married 28-year-old Hadia Sher Ali in Pakistan, descended from Afghan royalty, in May 2006.Dean Rousewell
"Diana Doc Weds his New Love"
''The People'', London, 14 May 2006, Retrieved 25 August 2008. In July 2008, Khan and Ali filed an application for divorce in the local arbitration council of

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

. Hasnat Khan is currently married to Somi Sohail.

In the media

The relationship between Khan and Diana, Princess of Wales is portrayed in the film '' Diana'' (2013), directed by

Oliver Hirschbiegel Oliver Hirschbiegel (born 29 December 1957) is a German film director. His works include ''Das Experiment'' and the Oscar-nominated '' Downfall''. Life and career Hirschbiegel was born in Hamburg, Germany. A Waldorf graduate, Hirschbiegel stu ...

and based on Kate Snell's book ''Diana: Her Last Love'' (2001). Khan is played by

Naveen Andrews Naveen William Sidney Andrews (born 17 January 1969) is a British-American actor. He is best known for his role as Sayid Jarrah in the television series '' Lost'' (2004–2010), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primet ...

, while Diana is played by

Naomi Watts Naomi Ellen Watts (born 28 September 1968) is a British actress. After her family moved to Australia, she made her film debut there in the drama '' For Love Alone'' (1986) and then appeared in three television series, '' Hey Dad..!'' (1990), '' ...

. Khan was portrayed by Pakistani actor

Humayun Saeed Humayun Saeed Ansari (born 27 July 1971), professionally known as Humayun Saeed, is a Pakistani actor and producer. He has appeared in dozens of Pakistani television dramas and limited number of films, and earned Lux Style Awards, and ARY Fil ...

in the fifth season of ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Hasnat Living people British cardiologists Diana, Princess of Wales Pakistani cardiologists British physicians of Pakistani descent People from Jhelum People from Lahore 1958 births British people of Pashtun descent