Prince Harry Was Reportedly Left 'Disappointed' By Princess Diana's Sisters' Perception Of Meghan Markle
Prince Harry never got to introduce Meghan Markle to his mother, Princess Diana, but he believes she would've loved Meghan.
However, Diana's siblings, especially Earl Spencer, were said to be cautious and advised the Duke of Sussex not to rush the marriage, which reportedly caused tension.
According to a book by royal author Tom Bower, Prince Harry was also left "disappointed" with Princess Diana's sisters' reaction to Meghan Markle.
Harry's introduction of Meghan to his mother's side of the family reportedly didn't go as he had planned.
Without the chance to seek his late mother's blessing, the Duke of Sussex turned to his maternal aunts in 2017 to introduce them to the former actress.
Diana, remembered for her warmth and compassion, was especially close to her younger brother Charles Spencer, though she also shared a bond with her two older sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes.
In an interview with the BBC, Harry expressed his belief that Diana would have been "over the moon" about his relationship with Meghan.
He said, "I think she would be over the moon, jumping up and down, so excited for me, but then, as I said, she would have probably been best friends – best friends with Meghan."
Despite Harry's hopes, it's been suggested that not all of Diana's sisters shared the same enthusiasm about his marriage.
In his revealing book "Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors," royal biographer Tom Bower detailed a tense meeting between the prince and members of Diana's family.
According to Bower, "Harry assumed that Diana's family and friends would see a similarity between Diana and his fiancée."
However, Harry was reportedly "so disappointed" when Diana's family disagreed.
"No one agreed that his vulnerable mother had anything in common with his girlfriend," Bower noted, per the Daily Mail. "More discomforting for him, they thought Meghan would not fit in with the Royal Family."
Though Diana's sisters didn't directly challenge the relationship, it was her brother, Charles, who voiced concerns. Drawing from his own experiences, the Earl of Spencer advised Harry to avoid rushing into marriage.
"His advice provoked a bitter reaction," Bower wrote. "This was going to be really hard, Harry would later reflect on establishing Meghan's place in the family."
Despite skepticism from some family members, Harry has remained steadfast in comparing Meghan to his late mother.
In the 2022 Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," he shared, "So much of what Meghan is and how she is, is so similar to my mum."
"She has the same compassion, the same empathy, the same confidence. She has this warmth about her," Harry added, per reports.
During their 2017 engagement interview, Meghan reflected on meeting Diana's sisters, saying: "I think in being able to meet his aunts, I'm able to, in some way, know a part of her through them and of course through him. And it's - it's incredibly special."
In 2019, Harry's aunt, Lady Fellowes, was among the very first to visit and meet baby Archie, arriving even before senior royals like the then-Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.
Despite Harry and William no longer on speaking terms, their aunts and uncles have remained present in both their lives, showing up for key milestones.
All three women, Lady McCorquodale, Lady Fellowes, and Earl Spencer, attended the brothers' weddings and were among the select guests at Archie's christening in 2019.
Earl Spencer has also publicly stood by Harry, voicing his support during the prince's legal battles. Most recently, Lady Jane and Earl Spencer were seen backing Harry at his Invictus event at St. Paul's Cathedral.
However, to long-time royal observers, Harry's growing closeness to his mother's side of the family feels inevitable, given his strained ties with the royal household.
Tensions between the Spencers and the Windsors trace back to Diana's tumultuous time in the monarchy. The rift became unmistakably public at Diana's 1997 funeral, when her brother, Earl Spencer, delivered a powerful eulogy.
While honoring his sister, he criticized both the media and the royal family, promising to help raise William and Harry outside the confines of rigid tradition.
Accrording to the Daily Mail, the Earl said: "Beyond that, on behalf of your mother and sisters, I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition but can sing openly as you planned."
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