Princess Diana Brought This Quality to the Royal Family, Per Expert

Kate Middleton wears a dark red coat and matching hat while Meghan Markle wears a navy coat and matching hat — (Image credit: Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

Members of the Royal Family live their lives in the spotlight, often becoming recognizable the world over. But according to one royal biographer, there was only one person who married into the Royal Family who had true "star power."

In an interview with People, royal expert and biographer Simon Vigar explained, "[Princess] Diana had a sense of destiny about her. The only aristocrat of the four women [Princess Diana, Queen Camilla, Princess Kate, and Meghan Markle], she knew a lot about it. She grew up [at Park House] on the Sandringham estate and knew the royals, and her big sister [dated] Charles."

Vigar also said of Diana, "But she is the biggest changemaker." Referencing particular moments in the princess's life that made a huge impact, the biographer said, "Even simply going to Tower Records on Kensington High Street was something you couldn't imagine the previous generation doing."

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The author—who is set to release his new book, The Four Wives of Windsor: Rivalries, Influence, and the Real Power Behind the Crown, on July 30—also suggested that Diana "made the Royal Family more relatable and more touchy-feely."

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'The Four Wives of Windsor'

Princess Diana wearing a black dress sitting at a dinner table — Diana "made the Royal Family more relatable and more touchy-feely."

Per Vigar, "Subjectively, [Diana] brought star power." Unfortunately, the Royal Family "didn't really know what they had," according to the author, but she "outshone them in the end."

Vigar also praised Princess Kate and Duchess Meghan, elaborating on the incredible attributes they brought to the family.

"[Meghan] was obviously a massive asset," the author said. "She was brilliant with the crowd, with the people. She would have been a major player in the Royal Family, and it is a crying shame that she's not."

bag - princess diana — "She is the biggest changemaker."

Regarding Princess Kate, Vigar shared, "Catherine is no wallflower. She has her own ideas. Behind the scenes, she asks really good questions. The Royal Family doesn’t think of themselves as a brand, but they are, and a source told me she got that straight away."

But when it comes to the person with the strongest "star power," Vigar believes Princess Diana reigns supreme.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.