Prince Harry’s recent 30-minute BBC interview sent shockwaves around the world, with insiders claiming it left King Charles “frustrated and upset.” Yet, according to royal author Ingrid Seward—who knew Princess Diana personally—his late mother would have been “proud” of him for speaking out.
Appearing on this week’s episode of A Right Royal Podcast, Seward reflected on Diana’s own explosive 1995 Panorama interview and drew striking parallels between the two.
“I saw her quite soon after that interview,” Seward recalled. “Of course, I asked if she regretted it, and she said, ‘No, I don’t regret any of it.’”
According to Seward, Diana had been moved by the outpouring of support that followed her candid revelations. “She said, ‘I got thousands of letters from people who suffered from anorexia and bulimia,’” Seward noted. “That’s how she saw the value in what she had done.”
However, there was one part Diana admitted feeling uneasy about: discussing her relationship with James Hewitt. “She felt bad for William and Harry, saying she had been in love with him,” Seward said. “That was the only thing she regretted.”
As for what Diana would have thought of Harry’s interview—delivered nearly 30 years later and six years after Prince Andrew’s now-infamous Newsnight appearance—Seward believes her reaction would have been one of approval.
“I think she would have been proud—‘I’m glad you said what you thought,’” she said. “That’s what Diana liked: saying exactly what she thought and dealing with the consequences afterward. That was her style.”
The podcast episode, titled An Impossible Reconciliation?, also explores when the royal family was informed about Harry’s interview and delves into why the Duke of Sussex reportedly has no regrets. Hosts Andrea Caamano and Emily Nash, joined by Seward, also discuss the recent birthdays of Princess Charlotte and Prince Archie, as well as the royal family’s public appearances during VE Day commemorations.
