This Resurfaced Photo of Princess Diana Crying During a Royal Engagement Shows How Heartbreakingly Similar Her Journey Was to Meghan Markle
The parallels between how Princess Diana and Meghan Markle were treated by the palace really do feel like history was repeating itself. Harry & Meghan clearly spells out the narrative that when a female eclipses the popularity of the rest of the royal family, things start to go south.
The Netflix docuseries shows a sad photo of Diana in tears during her 1983 Australian tour with Prince Charles. She was 21 years old at the time, but the crowds couldn’t get enough of her. “The prince was embarrassed the crowds so clearly favored her over him,” wrote Sally Bedell Smith her book, Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life. “For her part, Diana was upset by the disproportionate interest in her, especially when she realized that it was disturbing Charles. She collapsed under the strain, weeping to her lady-in-waiting and secretly succumbing to bulimia.”
That same issue was happening to Meghan — except it wasn’t Harry who was upset by her popularity — it was reportedly the rest of the royals. The Duke of Sussex understood what was happening before his very eyes. “Nobody sees what’s happening behind closed doors,” he noted in the fourth episode. “Back in the day, my mum was in the back of the car going to engagements in floods of tears, and my dad saying, ‘We’re almost there.’ And then 30 seconds to wipe the tears away, slap on some makeup and the door opens… and smile. Everything’s fine. And then flash, flash, flash, flash, flash.”
For Meghan, it resulted in suicidal ideation, where she believed that the only way to end the negativity was to take her own life. “All of this will stop if I’m not here,” she said in the docuseries. “And that was the scariest thing about it because it was such clear thinking.” Nobody should be OK with any woman being treated like that by the royal family or the public — yet the criticism continues despite the Sussexes telling their story — and it’s honestly baffling. The treatment of women (and yes, that includes Kate Middleton) doesn’t look good here for King Charles. If he wants to modernize the monarchy, he has to start from within.
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Before you go, click here to see all the celebrities who have opened up about their depression and anxiety.
Before you go, click here to see all the celebrities who have opened up about their depression and anxiety.