- Royal experts can point to many ways in which Prince Harry has taken after his great-aunt, Princess Margaret.
- Both Harry and Margaret were the "spare" in their families, both went through well-documented rebellious phases, and both fell in love with people who didn't fit the mold for people marrying into the royal family, Harry with Meghan Markle, a divorcee and the first person of color in the modern monarchy, and Margaret with Peter Townsend, who was divorced.
- According to royal biographer Andrew Morton, "Margaret put duty before herself. The wheel turns, 70 years later, and we have another couple having to make a decision: Do they put duty first or their own ambitions and desires first? And they put their own ambitions and desires first. That is the change we have witnessed during the Queen's reign."
Prince Harry has a lot in common with his great-aunt, Princess Margaret. Both royals were considered the "spare"—that is, the second-born child in their families (after the first-born, known as the "heir") and far enough back in the line of succession to be unlikely to ever take the throne themselves. This can be a tough situation, since the "spare" is often expected to take on a lot of the responsibilities that come with being royal even though they probably won't become the monarch.
In addition to being the "spares" in their families, Margaret and Harry were also both known for their rebellious streaks in their youth and both fell in love with people who didn't fit the mold of a royal love interest, Harry with Meghan Markle, and Margaret with Peter Townsend, whose previous marriage and divorce made him a very unorthodox royal suitor at the time.
In a new interview with People to promote his new book Elizabeth & Margaret: the Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters, royal biographer Andrew Morton discussed how Harry, who stepped back from royal duties with his Meghan last year, and Margaret, who ultimately called off her engagement to Townsend when faced with a choice between love and royal duty, came to very different decisions when it came to love.
"Margaret put duty before herself," Morton said. "The wheel turns, 70 years later, and we have another couple having to make a decision: Do they put duty first or their own ambitions and desires first? And they put their own ambitions and desires first. That is the change we have witnessed during the Queen's reign."
Morton also pointed out that Prince William and Queen Elizabeth, Harry and Margaret's respective older siblings, have a lot in common as well.
"In both cases you have one sibling who pushes boundaries, while the other is more serious, more cautious," Morton added. "At one point, William and Harry were both part of the main branch of monarchy. Then William marries and has children, and his children take precedence. Whereas Harry is an ancillary branch in exactly the same way as Margaret."
RELATED STORIES
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. 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.
-
Both Kim Kardashian and Blake Lively Appeared to Spoof the Kate Middleton Photoshop Scandal Over the Weekend
Yep, they went there.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Can Reformation Join You on Vacation?
The label is re-entering the swimwear chat just in time for summer.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Prince William Likely Feels "Guilty" for Not "Protecting" Princess Kate Amid Royal Drama, Expert Claims
Jennie Bond says William wants to avoid repeating history.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
If You Want to Buy Jellies and Jams, Napkin Rings, and Recipe Books from Meghan Markle, You're In Luck
Here’s what we know about Meghan’s new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard—including the poignant reason why she likely chose to hard launch it yesterday.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Despite Being 5,000 Miles Apart, Prince William and Prince Harry Still Couldn’t Bear to Attend an Event at the Same Time—Even One That Honored Their Mother Princess Diana
Their separate appearances at the Diana Awards were carefully timed so that William, onsite in London, had zero opportunity to interact with Harry, calling in from California.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Would Have Been "Annihilated" Over William and Kate Photo "Mistake," Source Says
She's a perfectionist.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
‘Deal or No Deal’ Host Howie Mandel Admits, for the Life of Him, He Can’t Remember Meghan Markle or This Fellow A-Lister Being on the Show
For her part, Meghan will tell you it wasn't her favorite gig.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have a "Golden Opportunity" to Reconcile With the Royals Amid Wales Drama, Publicist Says
They're sadly used to dealing with negative press.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
If Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Were Still Working Royals, They’d Basically Be Leading the Show Right Now
“They desperately need him, and nobody could have foreseen the set of circumstances that would expose that so dramatically.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Prince Harry Made the Effort to See Older Brother Prince William While in the U.K. Last Month, But William Apparently Wasn’t Interested
“It isn’t normal. It’s terribly sad.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Princess Kate Wants "Nothing to Do" With Prince Harry Amid Surgery Recovery, Expert Claims
:(
By Iris Goldsztajn Published