Princess Diana Thought Prince Harry Would Have Made a Great King

Princess Diana reportedly thought that her youngest son, Prince Harry, had the right disposition to be king. The late royal reportedly called Harry "Good King Harry" even though Prince William was actually in line for the throne.

Diana William Harry Austria
(Image credit: Tim Graham)

Parents don't play favorites, but that doesn't mean they don't have opinions about their kids' strengths and weaknesses. Apparently, Princess Diana thought some of Prince Harry's strengths might make him very suited to be king—possibly even more so than his older brother and actual heir to the British throne, Prince William.

The revelation comes courtesy of royal biographer Angela Levin who wrote in her biography Harry Conversations with the Prince that Diana thought her youngest son had the perfect natural disposition to be king.

"Harry’s seeming ability to cope, his ease with people and general gusto led Diana to believe that he would handle being king more easily than William. She even called him Good King Harry," Levin wrote, according to Express. "Diana felt less confident in William. 'William doesn’t want to be king and I worry about that. He doesn’t want his every move watched.'"

As for what kind of king Harry thinks he would be, the royal told Levin in an interview before his wedding to Meghan Markle:

"People would be amazed by the ordinary life William and I live. I do my own shopping. Sometimes when I come away from the meat counter in my local supermarket I worry someone will snap me with their phone. But I am determined to have a relatively normal life and if I am lucky enough to have children they can have one too. Even if I was king I would do my own shopping."

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Birkenhead

(Image credit: Anthony Devlin)

So there you have it: Good King Harry would do his own grocery shopping, tyvm.

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Weekend Editor at Cosmopolitan

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.