Royal Deja Vu: King Charles' shadow haunts Prince Harry as limelight struggles mirror Diana era

King Charles resented Princess Diana for overshadowing him in the public eye, a dynamic now echoed with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, a royal source told The Mirror.

Royal author and expert Tom Quinn, in an exclusive interview with The Mirror, emphasized King Charles's "huge headache" and touched on a "poisonous issue" that Harry's mother and father endured throughout their marriage. 

"It’s ironic that one of the most poisonous issues between Harry‘s mother and father was that wherever they went in the world Diana stole the limelight and Charles, as the future king, hated it," Quinn stated. 

"Now Harry finds himself in the same position – always rather diffident, Harry is permanently in his wife’s shadow. In Nigeria where she was able to talk about her Nigerian heritage, Meghan was always the centre of attention." 

He concluded, "Harry doesn’t mind for now, but at the back of his mind there will always be the thought that once again he is always a side dish and never the main course."

Marrying in 1981, Prince Charles and Princess Diana initially embodied a fairytale romance, yet their relationship proved unsustainable. 

According to The Mirror, throughout their marriage, Charles grew increasingly wary of Princess Diana's immense popularity. 

Particularly in the early stages of their union, Charles often found himself eclipsed by his captivating wife, with crowds cheering for the Princess and calling out her name, eager to catch a glimpse or exchange words with her rather than the future King.

Princess Diana herself confirmed his jealousy in her controversial Panorama interview in 1995. 

"The pressure on us both as a couple with the media was phenomenal, and misunderstood by a great many people," she said. 

The Princess continued, "We'd be going round Australia, for instance, and all you could hear was, 'Oh, she's on the other side.' Now, if you're a man like my husband, a proud man, you mind about that if you hear it every day for four weeks. And you feel low about it, instead of feeling happy and sharing it." 

Prince Diana also claimed it caused "a lot of jealousy," and "A great deal of complicated situations arose because of that."

Following the Sussexes' visit to Nigeria to support the Invictus Games and commemorate its 10th anniversary, Prince Harry returned to the United Kingdom for a thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral. However, due to conflicting schedules, the Duke did not have the opportunity to meet with his father during his time back home.