How Princess Diana’s Parenting Shaped Prince William, Prince Harry

And Harry thinks that Diana, if she’d been around, would have “saw it coming” when it came to his and Meghan’s decision to pursue their independence further beyond the palace walls than anyone envisioned, telling Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that he “certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process.”

Incidentally, he did have Diana’s tangible support, sharing that, without his inheritance, “we would not have been able to do this.”

Harry later admitted, however, that his mother would’ve been “heartbroken” by the rift between him and William. 

At the same time, he said on Good Morning America in 2023, “I think she would be looking at it long term to know that there are certain things that we need to go through to be able to heal the relationship.”

The brothers have only seen each other a handful of times since the Sussexes moved to California in 2020, including when they reunited in 2021 for what would have been their mother’s 60th birthday to dedicate a statue of her that resides in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace.