Medium Claims Princess Di Contact
[Original headline: Fergie's Anger as Medium Says: Diana Spoke to me from Grave]

Fergie has attacked a tasteless new book by a medium who claims she has received messages from the Princess of Wales from beyond the grave.

Hazel Courteney, 43, says Diana began speaking to her during a shopping trip to Harrods, and also appeared to her while she was on holiday in Australia.

Her claims are bound to cause further heartache for Prince William, 17, and his brother Prince Harry, 14, and the Duchess has voiced her concerns over the book. A royal source said last night: "Can you imagine how the Princes are going to feel about all this? They have enough to cope with without this woman's ludicrous claims that she has spoken to Diana. This will only cause more pain for the boys, and is yet another example of someone else trying to cash in on her memory. First it was James Hewitt and now it's this woman.

"She has even contacted Prince Charles to say she has messages for him from Diana.''

Courteney, a Sunday Times columnist who has homes in Barbados, Oxfordshire and London, claims in her book, Divine Intervention, to have started speaking to Diana in April 1998 after being struck by a ''bolt of electricity'' as she walked through Harrods to buy croissants for her chauffeur.

She says that she had a meeting over lunch with Fergie that November to discuss the messages she had received from the Princess.

Last night the Duchess of York's office confirmed that Fergie had met Courteney but said: "At that time Miss Courteney was going through a difficult phase and was very emotional.

''The Duchess is a very sympathetic person and did not want to cause her any further distress and it appears that Miss Courteney misinterpreted her sympathy.

"The Duchess would not condone such claims at all.

"Her days with Madam Vasso under the green pyramid are long since over."

[Source published Sunday Mirror / London - October 3 1999]