Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked most of the world when they announced in January that they were stepping back as senior royals. But Harry and Meghan's exit isn't surprising. It's not surprising for Meghan — who has always been fiercely independent and unafraid of making waves to do what's best for her and her family — and it's also not surprising for Prince Harry, because Princess Diana basically gave him the road map on how to escape.
Diana's path to freedom from the royal family began in 1992 when she and Prince Charles officially separated. Then, the divorce was finalized in 1996. She died shortly after, in 1997, but she enjoyed her royal pressure-free life as much as she could before then.
Diana always moved to the beat of her own drum. Although she played by many of the royal rules, she also broke protocol quite often. Prince Harry was around to see a lot of the changes she made to the royal family and how growing up with a mother who created a sense of normalcy compared to the limelight of being a prince.
Now that he has his own wife and son, Harry decided the best thing he could do for his little family was step back from the public spotlight and try to live a private life. He is retaining his drive for charity work and giving back, but Harry won't be going to what he probably sees as frivolous royal events — and he won't be putting his wife and son in front of the cameras if he doesn't have to.
Harry wants the privacy that Diana aimed for. She never fully got it, because the world was obsessed with her, but she did get some of her freedom back by leaving the monarchy behind. And now Prince Harry has followed in his mother's footsteps.
Here are some ways Diana may have inspired her son to leave royal life.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
Harry Tried to Follow His Mother's Lead
When Diana broke off from the royal family following her divorce from Prince Charles, she made a statement about how she intended to live her life going forward. "Over the next few months, I will be seeking a more suitable way of combining a meaningful public role with, hopefully, a more private life," she said.
This statement sounds so similar to how Harry and Meghan phrased their initial goodbye message on Instagram.
"We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent," their statement read. "We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages."
It's like Harry took a literal page out of his mother's book on how to walk away from the monarchy.
Seeing How the Paparazzi Treated His Mom
Many have blamed the paparazzi for killing Princess Diana since them chasing her is part of why her car was speeding when it crashed. As Meghan Markle became more and more of a paparazzi target throughout their relationship, Harry likely became desperate to get her out of the public eye before the paparazzi did any more damage to his family.
Always Hating Being Put on Display by the Royals
After Diana's death, 12-year-old Harry was made to walk through the streets behind his mother's casket. In recent years, he's spoken up about how unacceptable that was. "My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television," he told Newsweek. "I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances."
After giving up so much of his life to the public eye — starting with his mother's funeral — Harry seemed to have enough and decided to leave.
The Royal Family's Response to Her Death Was Inadequate
It took Queen Elizabeth days to publicly address Diana's death. At the time, Harry probably didn't notice, because he was young and grieving, but in the years since, he may have become upset with how the royals handled his mom's death. Their poor response in the moment likely just added to his list of reasons why he already wanted out.
Diana Was Happier After She Left
No longer saddled with the drawbacks of royal life, Diana enjoyed her short-lived freedom following her exit from the royal family. She found new love, went to parties, spent time with the charities that meant the most to her, and traveled extensively without the weight of royal obligations to live up to. Harry saw that and probably wanted the same for himself.
Controlling the Narrative
When it came time to announce his and Meghan's departure, Harry posted the statement to their personal Instagram page instead of running it through the palace PR team. This way, they got to control their own narrative a bit, just like Princess Diana did when she called a press conference to talk about her own royal exit.
Like mother, like son.
The Desire for Normalcy
Princess Diana was instrumental in ensuring that her sons grew up with a modicum of normalcy. They went to Disneyland, McDonald's, and a regular school. Knowing the effect that being raised that way had on him, Harry likely wants the same for Archie. It's part of why he declined to give Archie a "prince" title, so he could be a little more normal. Leaving the royal family behind ensures that Archie will be raised in an even more casual environment.
Diana Taught Her Children to Help People
Since they were children, Diana made sure her sons knew how important it was for them to give back, and, as a royal, Harry has done exactly that. Harry stepping back from royal life and starting his own charitable foundation with Meghan ensures that he will continue to get to do all the work for others that he wants — just perhaps with fewer royal galas and formal parties along the way.
A Chance to Tell His Side of the Story
People are eagerly awaiting Meghan and Harry's tell-all book (it won't be written by them, but will be the authorized account of their exit from royal life), but will be their chance to tell their side of the story. Harry knows about the power of taking back the narrative, because Diana did her own tell-all interview when things went sour with the royals. It's where her infamous line comes from about her marriage being crowded because Camilla was in it, too.
Meghan Markle's Similarities to Diana
Diana remarked in that tell-all interview that the royal family couldn't handle her strength as an individual. "I think every strong woman in history has had to walk down a similar path, and I think it's the strength that causes the confusion and the fear," she said. "Why is she strong? Where does she get it from? Where is she taking it? Where is she going to use it? Why do the public still support her?"
All of those sentiments can also apply to Meghan Markle, who's proven herself to be a strong woman. Maybe Harry clashed with the royals over Meghan for the same reasons the royals clashed with Diana, and he had to get out of the situation.
Working a Real Job
Harry and Meghan are seeking to become "financially independent" in this move away from royal life — and guess who was sort of financially independent before marrying into the royal family? Princess Diana. She worked as a nanny and kindergarten teacher, making her the first woman to have a paying job before marrying into royalty.
Prioritizing Mental Health
One of the causes both Harry and Prince William have supported is mental health, in part because their mother did have her struggles in that area. The princes are passionate that people check in with themselves and do what they can to support their mental health. Leaving the royal family may have just been Harry's way of protecting his family's mental well-being.
It did seem like Meghan was struggling under the pressure of being a royal — especially after giving birth — as she broke down in an interview on the subject. It shouldn't be a surprise that several months later, they announced they were leaving.
Diana Wanted To Move to America
According to ABC News, Diana's butler revealed that she'd been looking into relocating to California shortly before her death. The butler recalled her looking at "a lovely house" in Malibu. Now, Harry has made those dreams of his mother's come true since he and Meghan live in Los Angeles, California together.
It's all come full circle.
Harry Saw His Mom Lead From the Heart
In her tell-all interview, Diana mentioned how important it was for her to "lead from the heart." She said, "I do things differently, because I don't go by a rule book, because I lead from the heart, not the head. And albeit that's got me into trouble in my work, I understand that." Harry may be just like his mom in leading from his heart to move on with his life without the royals.
Maybe his head told him to suck it up and stay, but he couldn't help it.
Harry Has Been Thinking More About Diana Recently
Harry admitted in a 2017 Telegraph podcast that for a long time, he didn't like to think about his mother. "My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum," he said. "So from an emotional side I was like, don't let your emotions be part of everything."
That was three years ago. Maybe in having that conversation, he started to think more about his mother and all the great lessons she taught him. Maybe that's what prepared him to take this big leap a couple of years later.
