Fan Made Very Weird Princess Diana Comments to Prince George

Prince George looks pensive at a Christmas carol concert while wearing a suit and his grandmother, Princess Diana, wears a red dress with shoulder pads — (Image credit: Aaron Chown/POOL/AFP via Getty Images/Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)

On Christmas Day, Prince George joined the Royal Family at Sandringham, where they attended a morning church service. Afterwards, the royals greeted royal fans who were waiting outside, and Prince Louis was lucky enough to "grab" a chocolate gift from one visitor. However, some fans have been criticizing one "very weird" comment made to Prince George about his late grandmother, Princess Diana.

A 70-year-old man named John Loughrey had an interaction with Prince George on December 25, and the moment quickly went viral on TikTok. Loughrey is "widely recognized as Princess Diana's biggest superfan," GB News reported. In the video clip, Loughrey could be heard telling the young prince, "George, I've got something to say to you. Granny Diana would be ever so proud of you."

The 12-year-old prince responded simply, saying, "Thank you." George's dad, Prince William, also reacted to the comment, telling Loughrey, "That's very kind of you." The exchange ended with Loughrey telling William, George, Charlotte, and Louis, "I'm proud of you all."

The Royal Family approaches fans in Sandringham on Christmas Day — Princess Kate, Prince William, and their children approach fans in Sandringham on Christmas Day.

Reactions to the viral moment were mixed, and "criticism" began to pour in regarding the stranger's "granny" comment to George, GB News noted. "I'm sorry whoever said that to him, you crossed the line," one person commented on TikTok. "It's not your place to tell him what his late grandmother would have felt."

Meanwhile, one commenter wrote on X, "As a monarchist I think this is appalling behavior. What would possess someone to say something like this?" Another person concurred, writing, "Totally agree. This is appropriate for immediate family but not for general public. It's so disrespectful and to be fair [he] doesn't know anything about Diana and what would have made her proud."

Someone else suggested on TikTok, "It's embarrassing when people tell them 'Granny Diana would be proud,'" before pleading, "let her rest in peace!" Another commenter wrote, "I think it's a very weird thing to say to George."

However, not everyone was critical of the Diana fan's comment. As reported by GB News, one commenter noted on TikTok, "[He] meant well," while someone else suggested George was "so happy" to receive the compliment. While reactions were mixed, the fan appeared to have only good intentions.

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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.