The simmering feud between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the royal family exploded last week as an investigation was launched into shocking claims Meghan “bullied” palace staff.
As the feud raged last week, there were calls for the Sussexes to pull their controversial confessional with Oprah – in which Meghan claims the royals “perpetuated falsehoods” about her – out of respect for Harry’s 99-year-old grandfather Prince Philip following his recent heart surgery during his lengthy stay in hospital.
In a clip from the interview, Harry was seen telling Oprah how he compares his and Meghan’s situation to that faced by his late mother Princess Diana, who tragically died in a car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi, saying, “My biggest fear was history repeating itself”, adding, “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her [Diana], going through this process by herself all those years ago.”
Now Paul Burrell – Diana’s “rock” and her butler for ten years – exclusively tells Closer that she would be heartbroken by the situation and reveals that she herself had been pursued by Oprah for a bombshell interview following her divorce from Charles, but opted for Panorama instead – with a recent investigation by the BBC into claims she was persuaded to do that by falsehoods.
Check out: 9 times Meghan Markle dressed like Princess Diana
All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana - slider
1 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
The glittering Roland Mouret gown worn by Meghan at the premiere of Cirque du Soleil's Totem show was reminiscent of a Catherine Walker dress Princess Diana wore in 1990.
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Both Meghan and Diana chose a monochrome color palette for visits to Royal Ascot.
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It seems both royals are a fan of pairing red and purple. Princess Diana wore the combo a visit to Hong Kong in November 1989 while Meghan wore it on a visit to Birkenhead in January of 2019.
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In 1987 Princess Diana wore tartan at Bute Highland Games in Scotland and two decades later Meghan wore a Burberry tartan coat for an official visit to Scotland during her engagement.
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Meghan sheer pleated Givenchy skirt (which caused quite the controversy) and matching top may well have been inspired by Princess Diana's all-blue look from 1982.
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Both royal women are a fan of pinstripes, as seen by this pinstriped blazer worn by Diana in Sheffield and the buttoned Altuzarra dress Meghan wore at the Commonwealth Youth Forum.
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Even at the end of her royal duties, Meghan channelled Diana in her wardrobe. Just look at this green dress and matching hat worn by Meghan on Commonwealth Day compared to Diana's Trooping of the Colour dress and hat from 1982.
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At the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, one of the very first times we saw Meghan and Harry in public together, Meghan and her cali-girl vibes looked very similar to an outfit Princess Diana wore while in Bosnia.
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Not ones to shy away from colour, Princess Diana and Meghan also both know just how amazing a simple white dress can look.
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Both have sported tailored blush pink dresses. Princess Diana wore a Versace coat dress in 1995 while The Duchess of Sussex wore a modern take on the trend when visiting the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition at Southbank Centre in London.
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Meghan's second wedding dress (a Stella McCartney design) was noticeably similar to a high-necked evening gown worn by Princess Diana at a reception at Spencer House in London.
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Meghan wore a stunning Safiyaa caped red gown o the Mountbatten Festival of Music at Royal Albert Hall that looked very similar to the red Jacques Azagury dress Diana wore to an American Red Cross dinner in 1997.
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The chic plaid suit that Diana wore while at Paddington Station in London in 1988 looks very similar to an off-the-shoulder structured shirt Meghan wore on a visit to Wales.
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The off-the-shoulder pink Carolina Herrera dress Meghan wore to Trooping the Colour was rather similar to Princess Diana's look worn at the Royal Ballet in Germany in 1987.
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At Commonwealth Day in March 2019 Meghan wore an emerald green Erden coat not dissimilar to the one worn by Princess Diana in 1982.
Paul, 62, tells us, “Oprah came to Kensington Palace in 1995. She wanted to secure an interview with Diana, and while Diana loved having her for tea, she didn’t want to go down that path. She politely declined and did BBC Panorama instead. Oprah was an American commercial chat show – Diana knew that if she was going to do an interview, she wanted to be taken seriously and do it on British soil.”
He adds, “With Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview and the statement from the Palace [about bullying complaints], it’s clear the gloves are off and that things really have turned sour. It’s just so desperately sad that Harry and William are clearly so detached – both emotionally and geographically. William will be reeling over how things have turned out. And Diana would be absolutely heartbroken that it’s come to this... this division between them.”
Referring to Harry’s fears of “history repeating itself”, Paul says that while he can draw similarities between Meghan’s experience in the royal family to Diana’s, they handled it very differently.
He says, “There are some similarities in that both Meghan and Diana clearly had tension and issues within the royal family – both were strong women who wanted to stand their ground. Diana would be proud that Harry and Meghan decided to leave and pave a new way for themselves.
“But that’s where it ends. Meghan has had a tiny fraction of what Diana went through. She was in the royal family for 20 months; Diana had it for 16 years! Meghan had it far easier than Diana did. On her first royal engagement, the Queen attended with Meghan and showed her the ropes. At 36, Meghan knew what she was getting herself into – Diana didn’t as a teenager. The royals welcomed Meghan with open arms – with Diana they didn’t.
“At her heart, Diana wanted to do good. Even after stepping back from the royal family, she stuck to her morals and didn’t chase fame and fortune. She put charity work and her boys first. She knew that because Harry and William had royal blood, she had to accept the royal family and not seek to cause problems with them.”
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Referring to the Palace’s unprecedented investigation into the bullying accusations, Paul says, “I’ve worked at the Palace, and when there are complaints, they are taken on board and controlled by each individual household. I think perhaps initially, the complaints may have been dampened, for Harry and Meghan’s sake. For the Palace to make a statement about it now is a damage limitation exercise. They do not want to be outmanoeuvred by this Oprah interview.”
But despite the bad blood, he believes it’s not too late for Harry to reconcile with the Queen, with hopes he’ll return to the UK this summer for Prince Philip’s 100th and for an unveiling of Diana’s statue at Kensington Palace. Paul adds, “The Queen is the kindest woman. She loves her grandson dearly, and Harry loves his granny. She’ll just be hoping it all blows over.”