Prince Harry will always have Princess Diana’s back.
While the latest drama surrounding the Duke of Sussex is centered on his phone hacking lawsuit against the British press, it’s also further drudging up the rift between him and his brother Prince William’s opinion of their late mother.
On Tuesday, Harry gave his witness statement in the court case accusing Mirror Group Newspapers of using illegal tactics, including hacking of phones, to get “details of private conversations” he had with his family. Harry cited a Sunday Mirror story from 2003 which described him telling his father he “didn’t want to go to University and would rather join the Army,” according to the Daily Mail.
Watch Harry arrive to court here:
It was these kinds of detailed stories when he was 18 that caused Harry to question the loyalties of those around him and “contributed to the general feeling of paranoia that I was so used to living with, a feeling of not being able to trust anybody.”
He drew a parallel with what Princess Diana went through during her time under the microscope of the British media and the royal family.
“It was so conflicting. It’s only now, realising what the [Mirror Group’s] journalists were doing, and how they were getting their information, that I can see how much of my life was wasted on this paranoia,” Harry said in his statement. “I’ve always heard people refer to my mother as paranoid, but she wasn’t. She was fearful of what was actually happening to her and now I know that I was the same.”
Related:
Prince Harry pens moving letter on how Princess Diana challenged HIV stigma: “She led with empathy”
Prince Harry says he wants to follow in his mom’s footsteps and help to end HIV transmission.
Harry’s rejection of Diana being labeled “paranoid,” now stands in contrast to statements William made two years ago.
Back in 2021, William described his mother’s “paranoia” after a BBC investigation uncovered the dubious methods journalist Martin Bashir used to secure his bombshell 1995 interview with Princess Diana.
In the infamous sit-down, Diana discussed the infidelity in her marriage and the relationship between Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles.
“It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others,” William said in a statement. “It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.”
The difference of opinion on their mother’s state of mind is the latest fissure between the brothers in the aftermath of Harry’s decision to step down from his royal duties in 2020, relocate to California with Meghan Markle, and release a memoir and a six-part Netflix documentary series criticising the monarchy.
Amid Harry’s day in court, a 2018 story centered on how Diana’s fashion sense was affected by Charles and Camilla’s affair is once again circulating.
While Diana was known for rocking glamorous looks from the get-go, it’s been reported she stopped wearing Chanel towards the end of short life because the brand’s logo of two interlocking letter Cs reminded her of Charles and Camilla’s initials.
Diana and Charles were married from 1981 to 1996 and during that time he continued his romance with Camilla. While Diana was tragically killed in 1997, Charles waited until 2005 to make Camilla an honest woman.
Last month, the couple were officially crowned King and Queen consort. While Harry attended the coronation, he was essentially the black sheep and was relegated to sitting two rows behind William. He then left shortly after his father was crowned.
Get an intimate look at Princess Diana by checking out the trailer to the HBO Max documentary The Princess below:
Related:
Prince Harry makes ‘dangerous’ accusations about stepmom Camilla and the internet has royal thoughts
Prince Harry’s crusade to expose the dubious machinations inside the British royal family shows no sign of stopping.
Tombear
Beautiful body,ugly tatts.
still_onthemark
Diana had tatts? I never noticed!
Jim
William would rather play king than be true to his mother. Sad.
Sheppard87
I’m sorry, this is taking quotes from two years apart in very different settings and trying to make it a bigger deal.
2 years ago, Williams basically, “Now that I know more about that interview and the deceitful way it was arranged and handled, I understand why my mother struggled with paranoia and isolation”
Now, Harry says “Now that I have been through this, I understand that my mother wasn’t actual paranoid but was afraid of real things.”
Just because they both talk about her paranoia doesn’t mean it is some big difference of opinion. They are both saying that journalists (and I use that term as loosely as possibly) used underhanded, deceitful, and illegal ways to extract information from Diana, Harry, and the rest of the royal family and that it contributed to their mental health. Why is this a story about these two men who, while incredibly priviledged, have gone through a lot of suffering all in the pubic eye? Why isn’t it about how news and tabloid and these unscrupulous journalist who are being tried in court as we speak?
This is a seriously bad take Queerty, do better. And shame on you Johnny Lope for spinning this into a misleading and poorly written hit piece.
Mr. Stadnick
Thank you
dbmcvey
As the youngest of 6, we all have different ideas of what our parents were like. We all had unique relationships with them.
Sheppard87
Exactly, and it isn’t some huge divide between siblings just because you have different ideas on who your parents are.