There have been many attempts to compare Diana, Princess of Wales and Meghan Markle ever since her relationship with Prince Harry became public knowledge. While some authors and experts have suggested that Harry relies on Meghan in an emotional sense, others have posed the question of whether the prince sees his wife as an alternative to his late mother.
When investigative journalist Tom Bower released his book 'Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors’ earlier this year, a number of shocking claims about the couple came to light. One of the most interesting stories was how Prince Harry hoped that Diana’s two sisters and best friend would see the similarities he felt Meghan shared with his mother - and how he was "disappointed” when they didn’t.
As well as this troubling moment for Prince Harry, Bower suggests that Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, was asked to speak to his nephew about his closeness with Meghan.
The author claims that not only did Earl Spencer, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Baroness Jane Fellowes and her friend Julia Samuel fail to see the similarities between Meghan and Harry's late mother - as the prince reportedly hoped - but they thought that she would struggle to fit in with the Royal Family.
Bower wrote: "Since the Vanity Fair article had increased the Cambridges’ suspicion of Meghan, the actress discovered that her neighbour in Kensington Palace had even less time for her.
"By then, Harry had introduced Meghan to Diana’s two sisters, Jane and Sarah, and her best friend Julia Samuel. Harry assumed that Diana’s family and friends would see a similarity between Diana and his fiancée.
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"Both, he said, shared the same problems. He was disappointed. No one agreed that his vulnerable mother had anything in common with his girlfriend. More discomforting for him, they thought Meghan would not fit in with the Royal Family."
The author continued: "Their unease was voiced by Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother. At William’s request, Spencer weighed in.
"Three times married, Spencer cautioned his nephew to reconsider his haste towards marriage. His advice provoked a bitter reaction. 'This was going to be really hard,’ Harry would later reflect on establishing Meghan’s place in the family.
"One of his recurring concerns was insufficient money if they married. Although Harry annually received about £1.5 million from Charles, Meghan had been advised to continue acting to supplement their income.
"By that point, Meghan knew from her agent Nick Collins that her acting prospects were limited. Omid Scobie, her official biographer, would accurately summarise her exit from Hollywood. 'She wanted a more meaningful career,’ he wrote. 'She could be doing so much more with her platform.’ Her frustration remained. She was tantalisingly close to sealing her future, but nothing was official."
However, Bower claims that it wasn't just Earl Spencer who openly expressed his concern over Harry and Meghan's budding relationship.
He wrote that Meghan's former talent agent, Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, told the actress that she "wouldn't be able to make any more movies" with her priority set to become royal life instead.
But Meghan wasn't impressed, claims Bower, writing: "Gina, save it,’ Meghan snapped. Nelthorpe-Cowne was taken aback by the steel in Meghan’s voice.
"Holding up her hand, Meghan continued: ‘Stop. Be quiet. I don’t want to hear any negativity. This is a happy time for us.’ Stopped in her tracks, Nelthorpe-Cowne looked at the hard fury in Meghan’s eyes.”
