Prince Harry Thought Diana's Family Would Compare Her to Meghan

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry appear together at the wheelchair tennis on day 3 of the Invictus Games Toronto 2017 on September 25, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. The Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for the Armed Forces — (Image credit: Photo by Samir Hussein / Getty)

Meghan Markle and Princess Diana are often compared.

Both women suffered greatly from their time as senior members of the Royal Family, and both were—to an extent—outsiders. They were also hounded by the tabloid press.

Since the Sussexes' marriage, it has been said that Diana would be "proud" of Meghan, that both Meghan and Diana couldn't get what they wanted from the Queen, that Meghan often behaves like her mother-in-law and is her "perfect copy."

But according to royal author Tom Bower, Diana's siblings disagreed with the comparison between the two women, and—in 2017—even warned Harry against marrying the Suits actress.

"By then, Harry had introduced Meghan to Diana’s two sisters, Jane and Sarah, and her best friend Julia Samuel," Bower writes in Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors.

"Harry assumed that Diana’s family and friends would see a similarity between Diana and his fiancée. 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.

"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."

Of course, Prince Harry didn't heed his uncle's advice, and married Meghan in a lavish royal ceremony on May 19, 2018, in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

While the two are happily married with two children, there are unfortunately many tensions between them and the rest of the Royal Family these days.

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Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.