Whilst the late Princess Diana and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are two completely different people, comparisons are often made between the two women that married into the British Royal Family.
And due to Prince Harry having to watch the intense pressure the press put on his mother prior to her death, he can’t help but have the same fears for Meghan’s fate if the public scrutiny doesn’t subside.
Diana and Meghan’s fashion sense has also been compared.
(Image: Getty)”I was terrified of her being driven away by the media,” Harry admits in the highly anticipated docuseries.
He continues: ”History was repeating itself. My mother was chased to her death.”
By history, Harry is of course referring to the tragic death of his mother in 1997, who was killed in a car crash in Paris whilst being chased by paparazzi.
Meghan’s own experience with the media has been nothing short of horrific and eerily familiar to that of Diana. Perhaps the most disquieting aspect of the docuseries is a scene where Meghan is in a car with Harry, both of whom are visibly anxious, as their driver attempts to loose the paparazzi tailing them.
”Back in my mum’s days, it was physical harassment,” says Harry.
”They had cameras in your face, following you, chasing you. Paparazzi still harass people, but the harassment exists more online now. One the photographs are out and the story is then put next to it, then comes the social media harassment. To see another woman in my life go through this feedback frenzy, that’s hard.”
Elaborating further, Harry mused on: ”I expect that there’ll be people around the world who fundamentally disagree with what I’ve done and how I’ve done it, but I knew that I had to do everything I could to protect my family, especially after what happened to my mum.
”I didn’t want history to repeat itself.”
WATCH: Princess Diana’s psychic thinks Meghan Markle will hurt Prince Harry
But the parallels don’t stop there as Harry speaks candidly about his memories of his late mother, that whilst muddled by time, are still clearly held very close to his heart.
”So much of what Meghan is and how she is, is so similar to my mum,” Harry says as viewers are taken on a journey through the early days of his relationship with his now wife.
”She [Meghan] has the same compassion. She has the same empathy. She has the same confidence. She has this warmth about her.”
Perhaps it was those qualities that Meghan shared with Diana attracted Harry to her in the first place?
In the docuseries, Harry speaks about how compassion, understanding, communication and empathy are the core values that drove his mother’s behaviour, values of which clearly shine through in Meghan’s personality.
Diana was famously protective of her boys, and shielded them as much as she could from the press.
(Image: Getty)Another interesting comparison made between Meghan and Diana was their transition away from life as working royals, Diana by divorce, Meghan by choice.
”My mum was harassed throughout her life with my dad, but after they seperated, the harasment went to new levels,” Harry said.
”The moment that she divorced, the moment she left the Institution, then she was by herself. Yes, she may have been one of the most influential, powerful people in the world, but she was completely exposed to this.
”The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution – I remember thinking, ‘How can I ever find someone who is willing and capable to be able to withstand all the bagge that comes with being with me?”
Luckily for Harry, he did meet a special someone to ”share his baggage with”, and who to this day, continues to weather the storm alongside him.
