Royal Expert explains Similarities and Differences between Lady Diana and Meghan Markle

Much has been said lately about the treatment that Princess Diana – the mother of Princes Harry and William – and Duchess Meghan Markle have got from the media.

As a way to dig deeper into the topic, AmoMama exclusively contacted Royal family expert Yehor Brailian to discuss some of the main similarities and differences between the two.

The expert's thoughts on their main differences

Brailian, who is the editor of the Toynbee Prize Foundation blog, pointed out that one of the principal distinctions between Diana and Meghan was the way each of them became members of the Royal family:

"To avoid breaking the traditions and having problems with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles chose to marry the “chaste and pure” Diana, who was only 20 years old at the time and had never been married before.

In Meghan’s case, she was married to director and producer Trevor Engelson for two years before marrying Harry in May 2018. This means that the crown allowed a practice that was unacceptable - at least until recently.”

Meghan has broken many traditions

Brailian highlighted a second difference between Diana and Meghan that might be one of the main reasons the latter has had such a difficult time in her short time as a member of the Royal family: the exceptions made for her.

The expert revealed that the Crown has made more exceptions for Meghan (13) than for Diana – and for any other Royal, for that matter. Among the ones he mentioned, there are:

“The celebration of Christmas only among members of the royal family; the impossibility of a royal wedding with a person who was already married; [Queen Victoria 1819-1901] still considered marriage in May a bad omen; the bride has to be led by the father, etc.”

Brailian finally considered that becoming a beloved member of a family with so many traditions while breaking some of them was quite difficult, “not only for the public but also for the royal family.”

Principal similarities between Diana and Meghan

As per their similarities, royal author Katie Nicholl said during an interview that Diana became a royal icon like no other and that she was heavily criticized by the press, just like Meghan.

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter told the “Today Show” that some media outlets in the UK have been attacking Meghan with racial undertones, classism, and sexism on their reports.

Arbiter pointed out that even though Meghan is more legally protected than Diana in terms of paparazzi harassment, the Duchess of Sussex still has to deal with the global impact of online media.

Nicholl agreed with Arbiter as she also said that the media has made numerous negative stories about Meghan for things that range from the clothes she wears, the money spent on their home’s renovation, and several rumors of the wedding.

Other similarities

Putting aside the problems with the media, there are several other similarities between Princess Diana and Meghan.

Apart from their fashion choices, their divorced parents, and their short courtships, one of the most remarkable resemblances between the two is their charity work.

Royal family expert Egor Brailian pointed out that the image of Diana is primarily associated with charity, mainly because she was focused on raising awareness and fighting incurable diseases, in particular, AIDS.

Meghan, on the other hand, was a Global Ambassador for World Vision, the world’s largest international children’s charity, between 2016 and 2017 (even before marrying Harry).

Apart from that, Meghan has openly spoken about gender equality, social justice, and feminism during her time as the Duchess of Sussex.

The couple nowadays is taking care of their only son, Archie, while also fulfilling their royal duties.