Prince Harry’s mother Princess Diana was apparently “quite keen” to move to the USA in the years before her death, according to one of her closest friends and a legendary royal commentator
A royal commentator says Diana would have been “plagued” by the same issues as Harry had she moved to the USA
A Royal expert has hinted that Princess Diana might have encountered similar tribulations to those experienced by Prince Harry if she had decided to make a move stateside.
Ever since Harry chose to relocate with Meghan Markle to the US in 2020, he’s received wave after wave of criticism.
Rewinding time by three decades, his mum Diana was reportedly contemplating the same leap across the pond, as revealed by her pal and journalist Richard Kay during a Q&A session on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast.
When quizzed about Diana’s preferred country, Kay disclosed that the US had won her heart, and she harboured dreams of settling down in New York City or California.
Yet, she was constrained by her devotion to young Harry and William, who needed her close by, reports the Scottish Daily Express.
However, as the boys entered adulthood, Diana’s chance to chase the American dream might have opened up. He shared: “She loved the US. I think that if she could she would have moved there and lived there.”
Princess Diana
He recounts Diana mulling over an American chapter, saying: “She talked about it right at the very end of her life to me about settling for a time in the US.
“I don’t think she had quite worked out how she could live in New York or California for example and maintain that close contact that she needed to have with William and Harry. As they got older that might have changed and I could see her living there.”
Richard shared an intimate glimpse into Diana’s thoughts about moving to the USA, suggesting she believed it could afford her more freedom due to a perceived relaxed attitude towards celebrities.
He detailed their dialogue: “She felt she would be freer somehow, that they took a much more nuanced attitude towards celebrity and she based that assumption on the fact that so many Hollywood stars who lived their lives pretty much unhindered and she thought she would just be one among many.”
However, Richard challenged Diana’s perspective, predicting that America wouldn’t have shielded her from intense scrutiny. Reflecting on their conversation, he explained: “When I pointed out that she would be the number one among many, she didn’t agree.
“I think that’s what Prince Harry has found, that there was huge interest in him when he moved to California quite above all those home based American celebrities and Hollywood stars and I think that would have plagued Diana just as much as it plagued her living in the United Kingdom.”
Prince Harry
On a related note, Royal expert Andrew Morton weighed in on Harry’s contemporary struggles, noting in 2022 that despite considering other places like New Zealand for relocation, the Duke grapples with his Royal identity. Morton stated: “They (Harry and Meghan) were thinking about living in New Zealand, and they even spoke to the Prime Minister of New Zealand about this – so they had all kinds of plots and thoughts for their future.
“It didn’t work out because when it actually comes down to it, Prince Harry is cursed with charisma but hates being a prince and I think that he saw Meghan as a way out.”