Meghan Markle has been compared to her mother-in-law, Princess Diana, in more ways than one. Though they have never met, many royal fans say that the two women in Prince Harry's life have a lot of similarities.
One friend of Princess Diana recalled that she used to hear the royal say she wants to be really "hands-on" with her children, Prince William and Prince Harry. According to Anita Dobson, it was very important for Princess Diana to be able to see her kids off to school or pick them up from class.
Princess Diana was also quite involved and hands-on with her charities and advocacies. Not many will forget her iconic photo, where she famously walked in dangerous Angolan landmine. Princess Diana was also not afraid to shake the hands of an AIDS patient in the 1980s. She hugged the sick and patiently sat with them as she listened and cared for them during her visits to the charities.
The same principles of being hands-on would actually be echoed by Meghan in one of her first interviews as a member of the royal family. Meghan said that she and her husband are actually very passionate about their causes. She said that they click because they see the world with the same approach of being hands-on.
A royal commentator relayed that Meghan is even hands-on with running their Sussex Royal Instagram. According to Omid Scobie, it was the Duchess of Sussex's idea to use royal blue as their official color. It was also her idea to put white borders on all of their photos. Scobie also said that if Princess Diana was still around, she would also likely do the same things as Meghan on social media.
However, there is also a downside to emulating Princess Diana's approach as a public figure. The media is all the more curious about the royals' activities, including their private and personal lives.
Royal expert Victoria Arbiter said that Princess Diana and Meghan are indeed "hounded" by the media. However, the treatment of the media during Princess Diana's time was a lot different. She was followed by the paparazzi wherever she went and they would take photographs that she did not consent to.
Arbiter said that the laws have changed after following Princess Diana's death. In fact, under British laws, the paparazzi is barred from following members of the royal family if they are "off-duty" or no longer in royal engagements
Meghan, however, has to deal with a different kind of hounding in that she is always in the news cycle, particularly in the digital landscape. Stories about the Duchess of Sussex are published daily and shared on social media.
In October, Meghan confessed that she struggled with dealing with the press especially after giving birth and on top of taking care of a newborn baby. She felt very vulnerable about the attacks on her person online.
