Almost 26 years apart, two British Royal family members, Princess Diana and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, have given exclusive interviews that have gone down in history as some of the most controversial ones to date. Meghan’s tête-à-tête with powerhouse Oprah Winfrey took place in Montecito, while Diana gave her interview from her living room in London, back in 1995. Prince Harry joined in the conversation with his ladylove but his late mother had courageously spoken up against Prince Charles and his family members all on her own.
Drawing comparisons, Vogue noted that both Diana and Meghan struggled with mental health issues, negative press attention and a faux Royal life. A quick flashback to the former’s interview with journalist Martin Bashir shows that she left no stone unturned in highlighting the despairs she went through, ranging from her battle with bulimia and failed marriage to depression. “There were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded,” Diana said at the time, throwing shade at Charles’ alleged affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
Almost 40% of the UK population watched and as a result, the public’s opinion of the monarchy was damaged. This time seems to be no different. Nearly three decades later, the world is experiencing a déjà vu with regards to the British Royals. While many adore the similarities between Meghan and her deceased mother-in-law’s style statements, their language hauntingly seems no different either. Diana had told Martin, “You think you have the full knowledge of what’s coming ahead” while Meghan told Oprah, “I didn’t completely understand what the job was.”
Additionally, Diana had mentioned how she felt “thwarted” by people and the paparazzi surrounding her. Unfortunately, so did Meghan. “I didn’t like myself because I was ashamed of not coping up with the pressure,” the former had confessed, while Meghan echoed similar sentiments like, “I was really ashamed to say it at that time but to be fair, I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
Both women also admitted to attempting self-harm and putting on a brave face to survive Royal duties. “I was the first person in the family to ever have depression or be openly tearful. And that was obviously daunting because if you've never seen it before, how do you support it?” Diana had said. “When no one listens to you, or you feel like no one's listening to you, all sorts of things start to happen.” Meghan also claimed to have asked the institution about seeking treatment but was reportedly told it was not a feasible option.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also weighed in on their respective Australian tours, which supposedly triggered an uproar and a moment of jealousy within the monarchy. Harry told Oprah, “It all changed after the Australia tour as they (the Royal family) got to see how incredible Meghan was at her job. This brought back many memories but it also opened many opportunities for the rest to see how Meghan effortlessly connects with everybody.” By ‘memories’, Harry was referring to his mother, who suffered a similar fate as Meghan’s during her trip to Australia.
In her interview with BBC, Diana had said, “We would be going round Australia and all you could hear at that time was ‘Oh, she’s on the other side’. Now, if you are like my husband, a proud man, you would get to hear that almost every day for weeks.”
It is no surprise that Lady Diana and Meghan faced analogous experiences as the two belonged to completely different backgrounds as the Royals. While many claimed things had changed for the better since Diana’s interview took the world by storm, Meghan stated otherwise in her bombshell interview.
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