Princess Diana’s family didn’t respect Meghan Markle? What Harry felt
Prince Harry Reportedly ‘Disappointed’ as Diana’s Family Didn’t See Meghan Markle as a Reflection of His Mother
Since the beginning of their relationship, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been at the center of comparisons to Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. While the Duke of Sussex often expressed his belief that Meghan shared many qualities with Diana — including empathy, resilience, and a sense of compassion for the underdog — not everyone in Diana’s inner circle felt the same.
According to royal biographer Tom Bower, in his book Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, Prince Harry hoped that introducing Meghan to his mother’s closest family members and friends would lead to a warm embrace — or at least, mutual recognition of shared values. But instead, he was left disheartened.
Bower claims that Harry had introduced Meghan to Diana’s two sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Baroness Jane Fellowes, as well as Diana’s close friend Julia Samuel, in hopes they would see in her what he did. He reportedly believed they would recognize a familiar spirit in Meghan — a woman navigating royal life under intense public scrutiny, as Diana once did.
However, the reception was not what Harry expected.
“No one agreed that his vulnerable mother had anything in common with his girlfriend,” Bower wrote. “More discomforting for him, they thought Meghan would not fit in with the Royal Family.”
The author describes Harry as being “disappointed” by their response. For someone who had long seen his mother’s legacy as a guiding light, the lack of recognition from those closest to her was difficult to accept.
The tension didn’t stop with Diana’s sisters and friend. According to Bower, Diana’s brother, Earl Charles Spencer, also expressed concerns — reportedly at the request of Prince William. Spencer, who has been married three times himself, cautioned Harry against moving too quickly in his relationship with Meghan. This, Bower says, “provoked a bitter reaction.”
“‘This was going to be really hard,’ Harry would later reflect on establishing Meghan’s place in the family,” the author noted.
The revelations highlight the internal family struggles Harry faced as he sought to integrate Meghan into his royal world — a world already burdened with history, expectations, and the legacy of his late mother. The Duke’s deep emotional connection to Princess Diana continues to shape many of his decisions, particularly when it comes to his family and how they are perceived by the public.
The idea that Meghan would be Diana’s natural successor — a woman of compassion and strength, stepping into a complex royal system — was something Harry held on to. For him, the similarities between the two women were clear. But for Diana’s family, it seems, the connection wasn’t quite so obvious.
Adding to the complexity, Meghan’s rise in the media — and the public image being crafted around her — had already begun to stir suspicions within the royal household. Bower claims that a Vanity Fair cover story on Meghan had caused friction with the Cambridges, particularly with Prince William and Kate Middleton, who reportedly became more wary of Meghan’s presence and intentions.
The skepticism within royal circles and Diana’s own family underscored the difficulty of Meghan’s integration into royal life — a challenge that would eventually contribute to the couple’s decision to step back from official duties and relocate to the United States in 2020.
Today, Prince Harry continues to speak openly about his mother’s influence on his life and the decisions he makes with Meghan and their children. But this glimpse into the early days of his relationship with Meghan reveals the emotional strain he endured behind the scenes — navigating not only media pressure and royal protocol but also the private doubts of those he trusted most.
