Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will struggle to achieve what they want without ‘royal-style logistics’ just like Princess Diana did, her former private secretary warns
- Prince Harry, 35, is embarking on final week of royal duties before stepping back
- Princess Diana’s former secretary told of moment she asked for ‘time and space’
- Added she wasn’t able to achieve what wanted without the royal-style model
- Said late Princess of Wales ended up doing activities she wanted to leave behind
Princess Diana’s former private secretary has hinted it would be tricky for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to achieve what they want without the royal-style model, which his late mother discovered when she tried to break free.
Prince Harry, 35, has embarked on his final week of official engagements, and is about to move into a post-royal career similar to his the late Princess Diana following her separation from Prince Charles in 1992.
But the former private secretary has told of the Princess of Wales’ struggles to leave behind the duty of royal life.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, he said: ‘The unwelcome reality is harsh but simple: to deliver the kind of humanitarian message associated with her brand, and to maintain the profile her philanthropic ambitions required, there was no substitute for the royal-style logistics that previously surrounded Diana.’
Princess Diana’s former private secretary has told how it is tricky for anyone to achieve what they want without the royal-style model, which Princess Diana discovered when she tried to break free. Pictured, Princess Diana attending the film premiere of ‘Stepping Out’ at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attending ‘The Lion King’ European Premiere at Leicester Square on July 14, 2019 in London
The former private secretary recalled the day Princess Diana returned to Kensington Palace in a ‘buoyant mood’ following her emotional appeal for ‘time and space.’
He spoke of the moment she kicked off her stilettos and tucked her legs on the sofa, before asking to see what plans were in the diary.
In contrast to normal, he told how he handed her a file of blank papers which were usually filled with engagements and signs of a jam-packed royal life.
However, he went on to confirm the quiet life didn’t remain for long, and the late Princess Diana’s diary quickly began to fill up – with the exact types of activities she had intended to leave behind.
The former private secretary told how Princess Diana ended up doing the exact activities she intended to leave behind. Pictured, Prince Harry on holiday with the family in Majorca, Spain in 1988
‘Deprived of full royal status, she inevitably fell back on the practical benefits—planes, limousines, and bodyguards—that only wealth could provide,’ he explained.
‘By throwing off the restrictions of royalty, she just swapped one set of shackles for another.’
The former private secretary went on to warn that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may find themselves facing a similar dilemma.
‘They need the stuff only wealth can provide, but chafe at the obligations and scrutiny of royalty,’ he added. ‘Yet without royal status, their long-term earning potential could be in doubt—and the power of their celebrity may also diminish the longer they stay away from Buckingham Palace.’
The former private secretary also cast doubt on Prince Harry’s quieter life away from royal duties, suggesting the ‘loss of familiarity of habit, tradition and a comforting routine’ may prove a struggle for the Duke – especially because he is used to the regiment of the army.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex holding their son Archie on 25 September during their tour of South Africa