Diana reveals 'odd' sex life

Millions today watched Princess Diana reveal more intimate details about her failed marriage to Prince Charles.

And she claims that the prince virtually stopped sleeping with her after the birth of second son Prince Harry.

Diana reveals that even at the beginning of their relationship Charles would only sleep with her once every three weeks.

Sitting on a sofa at Kensington Palace, the princess says she later realised it followed the pattern of his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles: "He used to see his lady once every three weeks before we got married."

She claims the prince made light of his affair when she challenged him, saying "I refuse to be the only Prince of Wales who has never had a mistress."

The princess also tells of running to the Queen about the affair: "I went to the top lady sobbing. And I said, 'What do I do?' The Queen said, 'I don't know - Charles is hopeless'."

The princess mocks the prince's first clumsy attempts at courtship. She says Charles "leapt" on her and began kissing her on their first meeting as adults when she showed sympathy towards him about the death of his beloved "Uncle" Dickie, Lord Mountbatten.

"He leapt upon me and started kissing me and everything," says Diana. "And I thought, 'Waaah!' You know, this isn't what people do. And he was all over me for the rest of the evening. Followed me around, everything. A puppy. And, um, yeah I was flattered, but I was very puzzled."

The video, broadcast by the NBC network, was taped in 1993 by Diana's voice coach Peter Settelen. He is understood to have been paid ?500,000. Settelen won a court judgment this year to regain the recordings which had been claimed by Diana's family.

Scotland Yard had been holding the tapes, which were seized along with other items in a 2001 raid on the home of Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell.

On the tape, Diana talks about her unhappy childhood, saying she saw her father Viscount Althorp, slapping her mother across the face in a violent row before their divorce.

She recalls her parents "never said they loved me, there were no hugs or anything like that".

Further extracts will be shown by NBC in a week, including claims by the princess that her former lover and royal protection officer Barry Mannakee was "bumped off".

Diana also says Mr Mannakee "was the greatest fella I've ever had". Mannakee died in a motorcycle accident in 1987, after being transferred from his post as Diana's guard.