This July will mark what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday, with the day being commemorated by the unveiling of a statue at Kensington Palace, watched by a select few family members.
Last week, speculation was growing over whether her son Prince Harry would return for the memorial and face his family following an intense feud over recent months. His wife, Meghan Markle – who only recently gave birth to their second child, Lilibet – was confirmed to be staying at their home in LA.
Since stepping down from royal duties last year, Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39 – who are also parents to Archie, two – have given a series of scathing interviews about the royal family, which have reportedly left the royals “deeply distressed”, and intensified a rift between them.
Referring to the upcoming memorial service, one fan wrote, “How can Harry come back and face his family after what he’s done?” However, another posted, “Harry has got to be there to honour his mother.”
And palace insider Duncan Larcombe – author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story – says that Harry will definitely fly home for the memorial, and will bring eldest child Archie in a bid to make peace.
Duncan tells Closer, “From what I’ve heard from reliable royal sources, Harry will return for his mother’s statue unveiling. He’s thought to be planning on staying at Frogmore [his former home with Meghan], and he’ll obviously have to quarantine. But he won’t be alone – there’s strong reason to believe that Archie will be with him.
“I think Archie coming would be a great diffuser of the situation. And the decision to bring him could be the very first sign of guilt from Harry. I think he still believes that what he and Meghan did was the right thing – but bringing Archie back would be an olive branch of some sort and a definite sign that he’s looking to call a truce over what’s happened recently. It could help heal a lot of the hurt.
“Despite everything, Harry wants his kids to have a relationship with his family – especially the Queen. We saw how much she means to him when he and Meghan named their daughter Lilibet [the Queen’s family nickname]. And, at 95, who knows how long she has left? Wouldn’t it be lovely if we saw Archie and the Queen together this July?”
Rumours of a rift were confirmed in March this year when the couple gave a scathing interview to US TV host Oprah Winfrey, where they made claims of racism within the royal familyand alleged that Meghan’s requests for help with suicidal thoughts were refused.
Just weeks later, Harry was forced to come face to face with his family when he returned to the UK for his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral.
Despite Harry casually chatting with his brother Prince William and reportedly having “peace talks” with his father Prince Charles, Harry was reportedly made to feel “uncomfortable” by some members of his family giving him “the cold shoulder”.
And it was clear there was no love lost when he took further shots at his family just weeks later. Speaking on his mini series The Me You Can’t See – which he produced with Oprah – he criticised his upbringing and called London a “trigger” for him, saying, “For most of my life I’ve always felt worried, concerned, a little bit tense and uptight whenever I fly back into the UK.”
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.
4 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
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.
6 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
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.
9 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
Not ones to shy away from colour, Princess Diana and Meghan also both know just how amazing a simple white dress can look.
10 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
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.
12 of 15All The Times Meghan Markle Dressed Like Princess Diana
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.
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And Duncan says having Archie there will likely be a support to him.
He says, “Harry has said that London is a ‘trigger’ for him and I don’t doubt he found his last trip hard after what he’s done. And so having Archie with him will be a support. There can’t be arguments or tension when kids are around. Meghan has the perfect excuse not to come – she’s just given birth and I doubt she’ll want to face the UK any time soon anyway.”
Duncan adds that, while he thinks Harry hasn’t fully understood the impact of the recent interviews, he believes this is the first sign that he’s willing to lay the armour down. He says, “I still think he is nowhere near realising the full gravity of just how much damage he’s caused, but perhaps he’s getting there. I really strongly believe that one day Prince Harry will realise what he’s done, and spend the rest of his life regretting it.”
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