Prince Harry Echoes Support For Princess Diana For Speaking ‘Truth Of Her Experience’ In Controversial Interview

Dec 14, 2022 by apost team

In the royal family, marriages were held in high regard, and marital issues were not publicly talked about. A royal divorce was unheard of until Charles and Diana came out to the public with the news of their divorce. It wasn't all that shocking since there were constant rumors over the years of Charles having an affair with his now-current wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, while he was still married to Diana.

Diana was open about the troubles in her marriage to Charles and even confronted Camilla about their affair in 1989. Diana and Charles separated in 1992, just a decade into their marriage. The issue could no longer stay hidden from the public once Charles confessed to the infidelity claims in 1994. Even before that, close observers of the royal family had an inkling as to what was happening.

However, behind the scenes, Diana suffered greatly during the couple's split — and not only because their marriage suffered due to infidelity. Diana had frequently complained about the British media's behavior towards her, feeling that she was persecuted and followed everywhere. After their marriage problems became public, this feeling intensified. She even blamed the royal family for not doing enough to discourage reporters from hounding her.

In Netflix’s “Harry & Meghan,” Prince Harry, who was also a subject of media scrutiny with his wife Meghan Markle, has spoken up again almost three decades later about the infamous interview that his mother, Diana, was baited into doing. 

Read on to find out more about how Prince Harry discussed his relationship with his late mother and her striking similarities with his wife, Meghan. 

In November 1995, the BBC aired a Panorama interview featuring Princess Diana and the reporter and interviewer Martin Bashir. The interview came at a time when interest in the marriage troubles of Diana and Charles was high. In fact, the program was so popular that it precipitated Bashir's career breakthrough.

In May 2021, it became known that part of the blame and resentment that Diana expressed in the infamous interview was based on information Bashir had given her in order to gain her approval for the interview. He claimed her car and phone lines were bugged and that spies of the royal family were reading her mail.

Harry has been very outspoken about his experiences with the media growing up, both when he was hounded by them when he was a young boy with his mother, and up until today, during the controversial coverage of his relationship with Meghan. 

"Our mother was an incredible woman who dedicated her life to service. She was resilient, brave, and unquestionably honest. The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life,” Harry said in a statement to People Magazine at the time when the BBC's 2020 investigations took place.

Now, Harry has openly talked about the controversial interview in his new documentary with Netflix, titled “Harry & Meghan.” The Duke of Sussex candidly shared his thoughts, referring to his mom’s interview as her own “truth.”

“She felt compelled to talk about it. Especially in that Panorama interview,” he said. “I think we all now know that she was deceived into giving the interview, but at the same time she spoke the truth of her experience.”

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Recalling more of his experiences growing up with the British media, Harry shared his doubts and questions. 

“My mum was harassed throughout her life with my dad, but after they separated, the harassment went to new levels,” he explained. “I saw things, I experienced things. I learned things. 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 withstand all the baggage that comes with being with me?'”

Diana died on Aug. 31, 1997, from the injuries she sustained in a car crash in a tunnel in Paris, France. Harry, who was 12 years old at the time, was forced to face the unthinkable and live a life without his mother. 

“My childhood, I remember, was filled with laughter, filled with happiness, and filled with adventure,” he said in the documentary. “I don’t have many early memories of my mum. It was almost like, internally, I sort of blocked them out. But I always remember her laugh, her cheeky laugh.”

But it seems like Harry can see his mother through his wife, Meghan, as he underscored that the two most important women in his life share abundant similarities. 

“So much of what Meghan is and how she is, is so similar to my mum. She has the same compassion, she has the same empathy, she has the same confidence. She has this warmth about her,” he elaborated. “I accept that there will 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.”

Have you watched “Harry & Meghan” already? What do you think of Prince Harry’s realizations about his mother, Princess Diana? Do you agree with what he said? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to your family, friends and other royal family fans!