Hasnat Khan facts for kids

Hasnat Ahmed Khan is a British-Pakistani heart and lung surgeon. He was born on April 1, 1958. He is well-known for his special friendship with Diana, Princess of Wales, which lasted from 1995 to 1997.

Early Life and Education

Hasnat Khan was born in Jhelum, a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. He is the oldest of four children in his family. His father, Rashid Khan, studied at the London School of Economics. He managed a glass factory. Hasnat Khan is also a distant cousin of Imran Khan, who was once the prime minister of Pakistan.

A Surgeon's Career

Hasnat Khan worked in Sydney, Australia, until 1991. After that, he moved to London to continue his medical career. From 1995 to 1996, he worked at the Royal Brompton Hospital. He then moved to the London Chest Hospital.

Later, in 2000, he worked at St Bart's hospital. He also served at Harefield Hospital. In November 2007, he left his position there. He then became the head of a heart hospital in Malaysia. As of August 2013, Dr. Khan was working as a consultant heart and lung surgeon at Basildon University Hospital.

Personal Life

Friendship with Princess Diana

Hasnat Khan had a two-year friendship with Diana, Princess of Wales. She reportedly called him "Mr Wonderful." In May 1996, Diana visited Dr. Khan's family in Lahore, Pakistan. Diana's butler, Paul Burrell, later said that Diana described Khan as her "soulmate." Their friendship ended in July 1997.

Friends of Diana said that Hasnat was very important to her. They also spoke about how sad she was when their friendship ended. Dr. Khan has not spoken much about how much they meant to each other. He attended Diana's funeral in September 1997 at Westminster Abbey.

In 2008, Dr. Khan stated that their friendship began in late 1995. He also mentioned that they had talked about getting married. However, he felt that the constant media attention would be very difficult. Dr. Khan also believed that the car crash that caused Diana's death was a tragic accident.

Marriages

In May 2006, Hasnat Khan married Hadia Sher Ali in Pakistan. She was 28 years old and came from Afghan royalty. In July 2008, Dr. Khan and Hadia Ali filed for divorce in Islamabad. Later, he was linked to another heart surgeon, Dr. Alexandra Panagoulas. He then married Somi Sohail, who is also known as "Somi Khan."

In the Media

The friendship between Hasnat Khan and Diana, Princess of Wales, has been shown in movies and TV shows. The film Diana (2013) tells their story. It was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and based on Kate Snell's book Diana: Her Last Love. In the movie, Naveen Andrews played Hasnat Khan, and Naomi Watts played Diana.

Hasnat Khan was also played by Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed. This was in the fifth season of the TV series The Crown.

See also

In Spanish: Hasnat Khan para niños