Prince Harry was reportedly left deeply wounded after his late mother Princess Diana’s siblings failed to see the qualities in Meghan Markle that he believed so closely mirrored those of Diana.
Having tragically lost his mother at the age of 12 in 1997, Harry had long dreamed of introducing the woman he loved to his mother’s family, hopeful they would embrace Meghan as warmly as he had. When he married Meghan in 2018, Harry publicly expressed that Diana would have been “over the moon” about their relationship.
However, according to royal biographer Tom Bower in his book Revenge: Meghan, Harry, and the War Between the Windsors, Diana’s sisters and brother did not share Harry’s view. Bower claims that Harry had assumed those who knew Diana best—her sisters Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, and her brother Charles Spencer—would instantly recognize similarities between Meghan and his mother.
Harry believed both women had endured relentless public scrutiny and demonstrated strength, empathy, and independence in the face of adversity. But instead of affirmation, he was met with silence—or worse, disapproval.
“No one believed his emotionally fragile mother had anything in common with Meghan,” Bower wrote. “Even more unsettling for Harry, they felt Meghan wouldn’t be a good fit for the Royal Family.”
Bower also claimed that Charles Spencer personally warned Harry ahead of the wedding, casting doubt on the match. The conversation reportedly left Harry shaken. Reflecting on that difficult moment, Harry is quoted as saying, “This was going to be really hard,” referring to the challenges of integrating Meghan into royal life.
Despite the skepticism from his late mother’s family, Harry has consistently stood by Meghan. In their 2022 Netflix docuseries, he reiterated how deeply he feels his mother’s spirit in his wife.
“So much of what Meghan is and how she is, is so similar to my mum,” he said. “She has the same compassion, the same empathy, the same confidence. She has this warmth about her.”
