Did Diana have an affair with singer Robert Plamer?

London, April 18 (ANI): A new scandal could rock the royal household in the UK as rumours about Diana's affair with singer Robert Palmer are doing rounds.

The gossip started when journalist Ian Halperin claimed a close friend of the late Palmer had confirmed the affair.

"It was an extramarital affair that could have hurt a lot of people, the friend said. Diana was in love with Robert and wanted to spend every second with him," the Daily Express quoted Halperin, as saying on his site.

"The source insists that the affair was the final straw in Diana's marriage to Charles. Two years later they divorced," he added.

Suspicions were aroused when the post was taken off his site ianundercover.com within days of it being published.

Palmer's widow, Mary Ambrose, closed her Facebook page amid the allegations.

Mary, Palmer's second wife, was with him when the affair is said to be have taken place.

Palmer and the late Diana are believed to have been so smitten with one another that she inspired his 1988 number Simply Irresistible and was the inspiration for his 1994 record Honey.

Halperin even believes that Diana became pregnant and had an abortion.

He said: "She went to a private clinic to avoid the biggest scandal ever in Britain.

"They never slept together again because Diana was terrified what Charles would do to her."

However, Palmer's long-time manager Mick Cater has dubbed the claims "total and utter rubbish".

He said: "He never even met Princess Diana. Whoever's written it is lying."

Halperin said his abortion claim "100 per cent" true but his sources could not be sure that Palmer was the father.

He said: "My sources say Diana had an affair with a rocker called Robert and assumed it was Robert Palmer, but more information has come to light which casts doubt over the story.

"I have since spoken to someone very close to Robert Palmer who says it isn't true and he swears he wouldn't give me the run-around.

"If I can't prove it, I don't post it. I stand by the story but it was probably another Robert." (ANI)