Yesterday, Prince Harry spoke candidly about his departure (open in new tab) as senior British royalty with Meghan Markle. He spoke to Sentebale supporters about his sadness, gratitude, and firm belief that this was the right decision. It is interesting to note that when Princess Diana stepped down from her royal duties in 1993 due to the intense media scrutiny, she said many very similar things. Of course, we don't know if Harry saw that speech before he wrote his own down, but the similarity in language is probably no coincidence. Let's look at the similarities.

Diana:

and Harry:

Both thank the Queen (interestingly, if you look at the full transcript of Princess Diana's speech (opens in a new tab), this line was added by the Queen) and talk about the traditions that are the foundation of their lives The line is a reference to Harry's commitment to protect his family. This line provides a strong implicit undercurrent to Harry's decision to support the cause he loves, as does his mother, while protecting his family.

Excerpts from Diana's speech are here:

And Harry's speech is here:

Current news about Harry & Meghan is more poignant.

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