What Is James Hewitt's Net Worth?
James Hewitt is a British former military officer who has a net worth of $300 thousand. James Hewitt is perhaps best known for having an affair with Diana, Princess of Wales, which lasted five years and received extensive media coverage. Hewitt served in the British Army as a household cavalry officer and achieved the rank of captain in 1984. He served for 17 years before retiring from the British Army in 1994 and opening a golf driving range. James also opened a bar called The Polo House in 2009, but it closed in 2013. Hewitt was a contestant on the reality television series "Back to Reality" (2004) and "The X Factor: Battle of the Stars" (2006), winning "Back to Reality." James has also appeared on TV shows such as "Celebrities Under Pressure" (2004), "The Weakest Link" (2004), "Stars in Their Eyes" (2004), "Celebrity Poker Club" (2005), "Celebrity Wrestling" (2005), "Top Gear" (2006), and "Showbiz Darts" (2006). In 2017, he published the memoir "A Love Like No Other – Diana and Me."
Early Life
James Hewitt was born James Lifford Hewitt on April 30, 1958, in Derry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. He is the son of Shirley Stamp and Captain John Alfred Hewitt, and he grew up in Devon and Kent. John was an Olympic pentathlete in 1952, and he served in the Royal Navy before he became an officer in the Royal Marines. James has an older sister named Alexandra, and he attended Exeter's Norwood Preparatory School and the Somerset public school Millfield.
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Career
After Hewitt graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the British Army in April 1978 as a second lieutenant in the Life Guards. Two years later, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and in October 1981, he was transferred to a special regular commission. In October 1984, James was promoted again, this time to acting captain, and a year later, he was transferred to a regular commission. In 1991, he served in the Gulf War as a Challenger tank squadron commander, and in June of that year, he was mentioned in dispatches (official reports written by superior officers) "in recognition of service during the operation in the Gulf." Hewitt took the exam to be promoted to major, but he failed three times. Hewitt retired from the British Army in March 1994 after 17 years of service, and in retirement, he was given the rank of major, which the BBC reported was "in line with common army practice."
In 1994, James opened a London golf driving range, and in 2009, he opened The Polo House bar and club in Marbella, Spain, which closed four years later. In 2004, he competed on the Channel 5 reality series "Back to Reality" and won. In 2006, Hewitt was a contestant on ITV's "The X Factor: Battle of the Stars," finishing in sixth place with his partner, model/media personality Rebecca Loos. On the show, the duo performed the songs "Addicted to Love," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "Rock DJ," and "The Way You Make Me Feel" before being eliminated. James also has one acting credit, the 2002 film "Bloody Sunday," which won numerous awards, including an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Feature Film. Hewitt was a character on the Emmy-winning Netflix series "The Crown," and he was portrayed by Daniel Donskoy during season four.
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Personal Life
In 1986, James was asked to give Diana, Princess of Wales, riding lessons when he was a member of the Household Cavalry. The two began an affair that reportedly lasted until 1991. Rumors arose that Hewitt was Prince Harry's father, though James didn't meet Diana until two years after Harry's birth. Hewitt told "The Sunday Mirror" in 2002:
"Admittedly the red hair is similar to mine and people say we look alike. I have never encouraged these comparisons and although I was with Diana for a long time I must state once and for all that I'm not Harry's father. When I met Diana, he was already a toddler."
The 1994 Anna Pasternak book "Princess in Love" is about the affair, and James was a source for the book. In 1996, the book was adapted into a film, with Christopher Villiers portraying Hewitt and Julie Cox portraying Diana. When the affair ended, James considered suicide, and he told "Inside Edition" in 2011:
"I got in my car and loaded a few things up to get on the ferry to go to France – to shoot myself. And then my mother insisted on coming with me. And, had she hadn't, I would have probably shot myself. So I owe her my life really."
In 2003, Hewitt attempted to sell more than 60 letters Diana had sent him, asking £10 million. Sarah, Duchess of York, condemned the act, reportedly stating, "Betrayal, I think, is the most horrible, horrible, disloyal thing you can do to anyone."
In July 2004, James was arrested for possession of cocaine outside a Fulham restaurant with CNN journalist Alison Bell. Hewitt was drunk at the time and had 0.36 grams of cocaine on him. Hewitt was given a warning instead of being charged, but he was not allowed to later reinstate his firearms licenses due to his "intemperate habits."
In May 2017, it was reported that James had suffered a stroke and heart attack. A source quoted in the " Sunday Mirror" revealed, "He had a pre-existing illness, then got seriously ill. Suddenly it got very critical and he was rushed to hospital." Hewitt was released from the hospital by the end of the following month.
In March 2021, "The Sun" reported that James was working as a "£4,000-a-year gardener" at a Devon estate where his mother owns a two-bedroom, £350,000 flat.
