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7 Similarities Between Meghan Markle And Princess Diana
Here is a list of all the similarities that the internet has noticed between Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and her mother-in-law Princess Diana.
Trigger Warning: The article contains mentions of suicide and depression.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are on a royal trip to Nigeria and have received global press coverage for the events they have attended, mostly concerning the Invictus Games. This also marks their first royal tour after the two famously stepped back from their royal duties in 2020, receiving flak from people in this event informally noted as Megxit.
Over the years, many have consistently noted similarities between Markle and Princess Diana, the deceased royal and the mother of Prince Harry. Markle and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, which took place in 2021, became a landmark moment in royal history since the couple dropped insight that led to their decision to step down from their duties and relocate to California. The tidbits of information shared in the interview have led viewers to draw similarities between Markle and her mother-in-law, who was also a force in the pop culture of the times.
Here is a list of noted commonalities between Meghan Markle and Princess Diana:
Both struggled with negative press
Scrutiny from U.K. tabloids was a common occurrence for both women, Markle’s critique being more rooted in racism, as she noted in the Oprah Winfrey interview. While such scrutiny is certainly normal for the royal family, as Prince Harry further noted, it did turn particularly vile because of the “race element.” “Now it wasn’t just about her, but it was about what she represents,” the Duke of Sussex said.
Princess Diana noted similar critiques from tabloids and newspapers, which began just when she and Prince Charles started dating. Although initially expecting the intense coverage to wane off, it never happened that way. Being on the front page of newspapers became an “isolating experience” for her, as she said.
Both struggled with depression
Markle shared her struggle with depression while she was pregnant with her first son, Archie, with difficulties admitting it to herself and her husband. Princess Diana struggled with Postpartum depression, as she mentioned in her interview with Martin Bashir. She recalled how it became extremely difficult to counter this thought, which eventually became the only way her family would start evaluating her. “It gave everybody a wonderful new label — Diana’s unstable and Diana’s mentally unbalanced,” she noted in the interview.
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Both revealed they received little to no protection against tabloid talks
While Markle and Diana have both been the subject of tabloid discussion, the two women have revealed that they received little protection from the royal palace when it came to quashing unfounded rumors that made their way to the press. Mentioning the much-talked-about incident where she allegedly made Kate Middleton, her sister-in-law cry over her daughter Princess Charlotte’s flower girl dress, Markle noted that this never actually happened. She added that the palace’s communication team never made much effort to correct the narrative in the press.
I came to understand that not only was I not being protected, but that they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family,” Markle noted in the Oprah Winfrey interview.
Similarly, Diana mentioned how the palace had “waged a war” against her post her separation from Prince Charles in 1992. She recalled how she was infamously made the problem in the marriage.
They asked for mental health support from the palace
Both have talked openly about their struggle with mental health issues. Markle admittedly asked for help from the palace, which she refers to as “the institution,” but the calls fell on deaf ears. She was denied any treatment since “it wouldn’t be good for the institution,” she said.
While Diana had received a great deal of treatment, she felt the experience of dealing with her struggles very isolating, since her depression was not received well by the royal family.
Both felt that the palace was interfering with their roles
Markle noted how the royal palace interfered and impeded her ability to speak out on crucial issues. The Suits actress called herself an outspoken woman in terms of activism, but her time as a royal member did not allow her to speak for such causes, mentioning how she went silent for years. “Silent or silenced,” asked Oprah, in one of the most viral moments of the interview, to which Markle replied, “The latter.”
Diana, who is also noted for her work towards charitable causes, revealed how the palace was generally not very supportive of her public outreach.
Both were not trained for their duties when they became part of the royal family
Markle and Diana, both were particularly native to the rules and duties of royals since the women were born outside the royalty. The former went into a relationship with little knowledge about the structures and functions of monarchy, and Diana revealed how she received almost no instructions about her duties as well.
Both eventually stepped away from their royal duties
The infamously known “Megxit” came to be because of the lack of support from the royal family with regards to the negative press, as Prince Harry noted. “My biggest concern was history repeating itself,” he said in the interview, “When I’m talking about history repeating itself, I’m talking about my mother.”
Diana reported undue pressure from the media on her to perform the duties, noting how it impacted her marriage. “The pressure was intolerable then, and my job, my work was being affected,” she said.
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