Race a role in Diana’s death, says Prince Harry

Prince Harry has raised the role of race in his mother’s death, saying she was hounded while in a relationship with a man of colour.

Prince Harry says that his mother, Diana the Princess of Wales was chased to her death while in a relationship with someone who wasn’t white and he feared the same for his wife Meghan Markle.

Harry made the claim during a fresh outpouring of his life during a five part podcast series The Me You Can‘t See which deals with mental health.

Harry, 36, spoke about Meghan wanting to end her life in January 2019 while pregnant with their first child.

“It’s incredibly triggering to potentially lose another woman in my life,” he said, referring to his mother’s death, alongside her Egyptian-British boyfriend Dodi Fayed, in a car crash in 1997.

“Like, the list is growing. And it all comes back to the same people, the same business model, the same industry”.

He said his biggest regret was not making more of a stance earlier on in his relationship with Meghan and calling out racism much earlier.

“My mother was chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone who wasn’t white. And now look what’s happened. You want to talk about history repeating itself? They’re not going to stop until she (Meghan) dies”.

Harry said the only thing that stopped Meghan from seeing it through was how unfair it would be on him.

Princess Diana and boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed were both killed in the Paris car crash.

“After everything that had happened to my mum, and to now be put in a position of losing another woman in my life, with a baby inside of her, our baby, I am somewhat ashamed of the way that I dealt with it,” he said, adding there was only time for a quick cuddle with Meghan before heading to the Royal Albert Hall for a public appearance. He didn’t seek help from his family because “like a lot of other people my age could probably relate to, I know that I’m not going to get from my family what I need’’.

Harry spoke about drinking and taking drugs to cope in his late 20s.

He says in the series: “Certainly now I will never be bullied into silence … I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence, total neglect. We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling.”

“That feeling of being trapped within the family, there was no option to leave. Eventually when I made that decision for my family, I was still told, “You can‘t do this”, And it’s like, “Well how bad does it have to get until I am allowed to do this?”. She [Meghan] was going to end her life. It shouldn’t have to get to that.”

Diana and Dodi in Paris shortly before the fatal car crash.

Harry said his memories of his mother was her driving him and William to school where the paparazzi chased them.

“When I think about my mum, the first thing that comes to mind is always the same one, over and over again: strapped in the car, seatbelt across, with my brother in the car as well, and my mother driving, being chased by three, four five, mopeds, with paparazzi on.

“She was almost unable to drive because of the tears. There was no protection.”

He said one of his son Archie‘s first words was “Grandma”, which sadden him because Diana “should be here”.

Harry also reflected on Diana’s funeral, where, as a 12 year-old he walked behind the cortege with William, his father Prince Charles, his uncle Earl Spencer and his grandfather Prince Philip.

“Sharing the grief of my mother’s death with the world … It was like I was outside of my body,” he said.

“Just walking along, doing what was expected of me. Showing one tenth of the emotion that everyone else was showing.

“I was like, ‘This was my mum. You never even met her’.”

If you or someone you know is struggling, call Lifeline 13 11 14.