Princess Diana Made Sure Prince Harry Didn't Feel Less Important Than Future King Prince William

Princess Diana was desperate to ensure son Prince Harry didn't feel less important than his older brother Prince William, the heir to the British throne.

london may 7 file photo princess diana, princess of wales with her sons prince william and prince harry attend the heads of state ve remembrance service in hyde park on may 7, 1995 in london, england photo by anwar husseingetty images
(Image credit: Anwar Hussein)
  • Princess Diana was desperate to ensure son Prince Harry didn't feel less important than his older brother Prince William, the heir to the British throne, according to new biography Finding Freedom.
  • "If anything, she reasoned, he was lucky, because Harry had the opportunity to find his purpose," authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand write.
  • Finding Freedom, which recounts Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's lives together both before and after stepping down as senior royals, was published today, August 11. 

Here's a sweet detail from new Meghan Markle and Prince Harry biography Finding Freedom, which was published today: According to authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, Princess Diana was conscious that Harry might feel inferior to his older brother and heir to the throne, Prince William, and worked to ensure he felt just as important.

"Diana had tried to imbue in her younger son that he should never let anyone make him feel that he wasn’t special just because he would never be king," Scobie and Durand write in Finding Freedom, as the Independent reports. "If anything, she reasoned, he was lucky, because Harry had the opportunity to find his purpose."

the princess of wales takes her sons william and harry out on the boat 'maid of the mist' at niagara falls, october 1991 photo by jayne fincherprincess diana archivegetty images

(Image credit: Princess Diana Archive)

In the 2019 documentary Harry & MeghanAn African Journey, Prince Harry spoke to journalist Tom Bradby about losing his mother, and the painful ways in which royal life compounded his trauma. "Being part of this family, in this role, in this job, every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash, it takes me straight back," he said. "So in that respect, it's the worst reminder of her life, as opposed to the best."

"With the role, with the job, and the sort of pressures that come with that I get reminded of the bad stuff, unfortunately," Harry continued.

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Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.