Diana's Ex-Lover Hewitt Busted in London

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/23/2004 at 08:10 AM EDT

Princess Diana's "love rat," James Hewitt, and a TV anchorwoman who reportedly has worked in Britain and New Zealand were busted at a London bar late Wednesday on suspicion of possessing drugs, say police.

Both have been freed on bail after their arrests on suspicion of possessing illegal class "A" drugs – a category that includes cocaine and heroin, reports Reuters.

The accusations reportedly involve half a gram of cocaine.

Hewitt, 46, and the woman, Alison Bell, 37 (who is also said to have been a former date of Prince Edward's), were arrested after a customer at a Mexican bar called Cactus Blue observed the couple and phoned police.

"A 46-year-old man has been bailed to return to a London police station in September," a spokeswoman told Reuters when asked if Hewitt had been released after being held overnight.

Hewitt was dubbed a "rat" and the "vilest man in Britain" by the press after he sold the story of his secret love affair with Diana at the time that her marriage to Prince Charles was crumbling.

After Diana's death in 1997, Hewitt also tried to sell intimate love letters from her but failed to find a buyer willing to meet his $18.4 million asking price.