Princess Diana would have been "very, very protective of Harry" and "very anxious" about the direction he and Meghan Markle have taken, according to royal biographer Tina Brown.
The former magazine editor told The Daily Beast that Diana would not "have been the great fan of Meghan that Meghan herself might perhaps imagine."
However, Brown added that her former friend would have been "thrilled someone of mixed race was joining the royal family because Diana was so inclusive," during an interview marking the 25th anniversary of the princess' death on August 31, 1997.
Brown, author of The Palace Papers, said: "Diana was very protective of her boys. She would have been very, very protective of Harry and I believe very anxious about this direction they've taken.
"I think she would have felt Meghan was steering Harry in a direction that was not good for Harry. I don't think Diana would have been the great fan of Meghan that Meghan herself might perhaps imagine."
She said Diana would have been "thrilled" that Harry was happy and added: "She would have been delighted, supportive and thrilled someone of mixed race was joining the royal family because Diana was so inclusive.
"It's very difficult to know how fragile Harry would have been if his mother hadn't died. He was obviously utterly traumatized by her death. But the Spencers are a fairly turbulent family.
"Other members of that family, including Diana herself, have not been without their fragilities and neuroses. Harry may have inherited that Spencer turbulence. It's always about drama in the Spencer family. With Harry, it could just be the genes speaking."
Brown's royal biography caused a wave of newspaper headlines when it was published in April.
In an interview at the time with The New York Times podcast Sway, she said that "in England, where they hate Meghan—they think that I've been way too empathetic to Meghan."
In her interview with The Daily Beast, Brown spoke about Diana's decision to remain at Kensington Palace even after her divorce from Prince Charles.
The princess had a palace aide, private secretary Michael Gibbins, who helped find opportunities in her professional life right up until her death on August 31, 1997.
Brown said: "She kept Kensington Palace as her base. Unlike Harry and Meghan she understood having the power base of monarchy was enormously important.
"Today, I believe she would have had billions of followers on Instagram, and used that to the max. By now, her charitable foundation would have been as big as Bill Gates.'
"She began that global humanitarian celebrity outreach that we went on to see with the Clooneys and Bono. She's a real forerunner of that. It's very tragic to know that didn't happen."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
