Opinions expressed in this article are entirely the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
In 1995, Diana, Princess of Wales, was interviewed by BBC and exposed the toxic internal relations she experienced within the royal family. Two years later, she was killed in a car crash under a road tunnel in Paris. A week ago, Meghan Markle, former Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, gave statements similar to Diana’s in an interview with Oprah.
The couple claims that the institution takes great pride in maintaining a perfect, homogeneous image, at the expense of personal freedom and emotional wellbeing. The royal family allegedly fosters a relationship with the U.K. press to protect their reputation and manipulate public perception. They sustain themselves with control tactics and strict social contracts within the system to never disobey. As Diana experienced, Harry and Meghan understood that not conforming means you’re cast out.
Meghan was the first biracial royal family member before stepping down from the firm with Harry. When introduced to the royals, they were celebrated and beloved. But Meghan wasn’t raised in a traditionally formal structure wherein every decision was calculated for her. Along with diversity, she brought independence and an American voice into the institution.
Like Diana, Meghan created a personal relationship with the public and advocated for social causes that steered from the standard conventions of the monarchy. Harry exclaims, “she was so good at her job, and I think that brought back memories” in reference to Diana and how connected they both were with the Commonwealth. As put by Oprah, members of the “royal bubble” painted a narrative against Meghan and Diana, allowing them to be the targets of media hate. However, Meghan’s race added another layer to the threats, because they were driven by racism and supremacism.
Both women refused to conform and were considered a liability. The differences are that while Diana had racial privilege, Meghan had support from her husband, and Meghan stepped back from the royal family, alive because she was protected. Prince Charles openly cheated on Diana and took part in ostracizing her, which led to her death while Harry protected Meghan. As voiced by Harry, “my biggest concern was history repeating itself.” There are many conspiracies surrounding Diana’s death, mainly because she was deceived by the royals, including her husband, and had expressed fears that she might be killed in a note to her butler.
