Prince Harry Feels Princess Diana’s Presence With Him Now More Than Ever Before

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 23 April 2022

In a wide-ranging interview with Hoda Kotb of NBC’s Today, Prince Harry said he feels like his late mother, Princess Diana, has been with him more in his turbulent past two years than ever before.

“It’s almost as though she’s done her bit with my brother and now she’s very much helping me,” he said. “Got him set up, now she’s helping me set up.”

The Duke of Sussex spoke to Kotb on Wednesday in The Hague, Netherlands, where the Invictus Games just wrapped up after a week of competition. And, while Harry said he doesn’t tell almost three-year-old son Archie “all the stuff that happened,” he does frequently talk about “Grandma Diana,” and shows him photos of her kept in their Montecito home.

“For me, it’s constant,” Harry said of feeling her presence. “It has been over the last two years, more so than ever before.”

The past two years, of course, have included the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s infamous “step back” from being working royals in January 2020, their move to the U.S., the launch of their nonprofit Archewell and commercial deals with the likes of Netflix and Spotify, Meghan’s miscarriage and then pregnancy and birth of daughter Lilibet Diana, the couple’s Oprah interview, grandfather Prince Philip’s death, and the unveiling of a statue in honor of Diana at Kensington Palace alongside estranged brother Prince William—just to name a few of the last two years’ signposts.

“Today, on what would have been our mother’s 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength, and character—qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better,” the brothers said in a statement obtained by Insider at the time. “Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.”

William, of course, also gave his daughter a middle name of his late mother, as well. And Harry said that while his circumstances are “obviously different” from his older brother’s, they’re in a similar position with their children.

“She’s watching over us,” Harry said to Kotb, who replied that she was sure Diana is proud of Harry.

“I’m sure she is,” he replied.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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