Why the surgeon did not marry Diana

London, Dec 17 (UNI) Diana's greatest lover Dr Hasnat Khan, refused to marry her because their cultural differences would have torn them apart.

A heart surgeon by profession, Dr Hasnat Khan ended his relationship with Diana only months before her death after concluding that a marriage between them would be doomed to failure because of cultural differences.

''If I married her, our marriage would not last for more than a year. We are culturally so different from each other. She is from Venus and I am from Mars. If it ever happened, it would be like a marriage from two different planets, '' Dr Khan told his family.

Dr Khan's father, Mr Abdul Rasheed Khan said his son had explained to him that Diana was ''independent'' and ''outgoing''.

But, added to their different faiths, it meant that his son - despite considering asking her to marry him - could not envisage their relationship lasting.

''He told me straight away, 'Daddy, I am not going to marry her.

If I ever married her, our marriage would not survive more than a year,'' the Daily Telegraph quoted Mr Khan as saying.

Dr Khan, 48, who until last month worked in Britain, had a two-year relationship with Diana from 1995.

However, they always tried to keep their affair discreet and he has never talked publicly about his deep feelings for her.

It is understood that at one point the Princess was willing to convert to Islam in order to marry him but abandoned the idea when he took the decision that their relationship could not work in the long term.

The inquest into the Princess's death heard evidence last week from one of her closest friends, Rosa Monckton, that Diana had no plans to marry her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, who died with her in a Paris car crash 10 years ago, and that she was still infatuated with Dr Khan.

Ms Monckton said the Princess had been ''deeply upset and hurt'' when Dr Khan broke off their relationship in the summer of 1997.

''She was very much in love with him. She hoped that they would be able to have a future together. She wanted to marry him,'' she told the hearing.

UNI