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If there’s one thing that is undeniable about Prince Harry, it’s that he is his mother’s son to the core. Despite her wild popularity, Princess Dianastruggled to fit in with the royal family, and now, Harry is proving he may have taken after her with this sentiment — and it is heartbreaking.
During his Saturday, March 4 event promoting his memoir, Spare, with Dr. Gabor Maté, the Duke of Sussex was vulnerable about how he felt growing up in the palace. “Certainly throughout my life, throughout my younger years, I always felt slightly different to the rest of my family,” he explained during the chat with the trauma expert. “I felt strange being in this container, and I know that my mum felt the same.” It’s likely why Harry has always felt a deep connection with his mother, even long after she passed away.
“It makes sense to me — it didn’t make sense at the time — I felt as though my body was in there, but my head was out, but sometimes it was vice-versa,” Harry said. “The times that I ventured towards being myself, being my authentic true self, whether it was through media or family or whatever it was, it was almost like, ‘Don’t be yourself, come back to what you’re expected to be,’ if that makes sense.” It does make sense to anyone who has read his memoir because writing the book was a way to release that trauma — he was set free from the expectations of his upbringing.
Diana never got that opportunity because just as she was discovering her freedom from the royal family, her wings were clipped. Harry understands that his mother never had the opportunity to find her true authentic self, but he gets that second chance of not having to follow royal rules that feel uncomfortable. The Duke of Sussex is finding that his journey is much different Charles and Prince William’s path to the throne — and he’s finally found acceptance in a world outside the palace bubble.
Before you go, click here to see the 8 compelling & heartbreaking details we learned about Princess Diana from Meghan & Harry’s docuseries.
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