Are Harry and Meghan following a Diana manual?
From TV tell-alls to White House dreams, Harry and Meghan are studying Diana's guide to life
He proudly stated, “I am my mother’s son” on Archewell.com and Harry and Meghan are certainly following in Diana’s every step.
From secret books, to bombshell TV interviews, documentary-making and even eyeing up the White House, Kerry took a look for The Sunday Telegraph how the pair are following Diana’s guide to life.
Tell-alls: Diana secretly colluded with author Andrew Morton for the 1992 book Diana: Her True Story, despite publicly denying it. Next came her bombshell Panorama TV interview in 1995. Harry and Meghan say they did not speak to Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand for last year’s Finding Freedom and subsequently chose Oprah for their TV exclusive. Step one, check.
California dreaming: Diana longed to live overseas and even looked at California, according to her butler Paul Burrell. In 2007 he told ABC News the princess had talked of moving to Dodi Fayed’s Malibu villa, saying, “Just won’t it be great… nobody’s judgmental here in America, you don’t have the class system, you don’t have the establishment.” Double check.
Superstar royal: After Charles and Diana’s 1983 Australian tour, Diana became aware of her popularity and was frustrated the palace didn’t appreciate her enough. Sound familiar? Harry and Meghan’s showbiz reception Down Under was also their ultimate undoing. The secret to Diana’s soar-away success was sharing her mental health struggles. “She had become the Oprah Princess, without going on the show”, wrote Tina Brown in The Diana Chronicles. What’s the betting there’s a paperback copy in Cali with a Post-it note in it.
Eyeing the White House: While an apoplectic Donald Trump says he will run against Meghan for president, Diana also harboured aspirations to be US First Lady. According to her American billionaire boyfriend Teddy Forstmann, “Diana had the idea that we should get married, that I should run for president and she would be the First Lady.” Meghan’s highlighter explodes.
Documentary making: Just before she died, Diana was excited about a new project making documentaries about different issues she supported, starting with illiteracy. “It was Diana’s version of a Clinton global initiative,” wrote Brown, “and she had the idea first.” Two decades later, her son and daughter-in-law took that idea to Netflix.
Kindness Inc: Harry and Meghan’s foundation is also an extension of the humanitarian work his mother had begun to forge for herself, famously saying she wanted to be the “queen of people’s hearts.” When she went to New York in 1995 to receive a Humanitarian of the Year award, she declared, “today is the day of compassion,” so it follows that Archewell’s mission statement is “to build a better world, one act of compassion at a time.”
Leaking problem: We know palaces are old, but you’d think they would have fixed the leaks by now. During the last Windsor War between Charles and Diana, what started as a trickle became a torrent of bitterness on both sides. But this is one page of Diana’s playbook Harry and Meghan don’t want to follow; it’s time for both sides to sing another tune. Diana’s mate Elton has a good one: Sorry seems to be the hardest word.
Kate’s blazing style
She’s zooming ahead in the style stakes, as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge gives us a lesson in virtual chic. The key, it seems, to looking good on Zoom, is a smart blazer.
This week she celebrated St Patrick’s Day in a £59.99 green Zara blazer and last month she sported a trio of trusty jackets, including her Smythe Duchess blazer, £633, an Alexander McQueen tuxedo, £868 and the sold-out blue tweed by Rebecca Taylor. We’re stealing this idea immediately, even if it’s the smartest we’ve looked for a year…
Royal reads we’re bookmarking now
Andrew Morton’s latest biography is out at the end of this month: Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters (£17.40). It promises a forensic examination of the relationship between the Queen and her late younger sister – two drastically different women. After you’ve polished that one off, add these fab new (ish) books to your royal reading pile…
* The Duke: 100 Chapters in the Life of Prince Philip by Ian Lloyd, £12.55. To mark his centenary. Who knew he loves T.S. Eliot, Frank Sinatra and has designed jewellery?
* Battle of Brothers: William, Harry And The Inside Story Of A Family In Tumult by Robert Lacey, £10. Oh my. Where did it go so wrong? Lacey tells all.
* Princess Mary, The First Modern Princess by Elisabeth Basford, £16. Before Diana, the Queen’s aunt and Princess Royal was tearing up the royal rule book.
* Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Style by Bethan Holt, £12.69. Catherine is knocking it out of the fashion field and this charts her style evolution beautifully.
Back to Zoom school, Ed
We’ve all been there, and it’s comforting to know even royals have a nightmare with virtual backdrops. Don’t worry Eddie, the end of lockdown is nigh and good riddance to Zoom meetings. Well, we can hope. Although watching the top of your princely head inflate and deflate here is the funniest fail of the week.
Reason 45987 Prince Philip is a legend
Out of hospital and enjoying his first weekend home at Windsor Castle with his beloved Lilibet and two new Corgi puppies, we’re watching this on a loop because frankly their enduring romance proves he’s a secret softie.