Princess Diana Would Have ‘Steered’ Prince Harry in ‘a Different Direction’ Than Meghan Markle, Royal Exit

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Princess Diana's devoted butler, Paul Burrell, remembers the moment well. "I first ‘met' [Prince Harry] when Diana placed my hand on her tummy and I felt him kick in the latter stages of her pregnancy," he exclusively tells Life & Style. 

He'll also never forget seeing the little boy who "preferred to sleep with his mother rather than in his own bed" after Diana was tragically killed in a 1997 Paris car crash at 36. 

When a grieving Harry returned to Kensington Palace, her servant of 10 years recalls, he "flung himself into my arms. His heart broke and he soaked my shirt with his tears."

Now, nearly three decades later, when Paul looks at where her 40-year-old son is today, he can't help but imagine what Diana would think of it all - from Harry's decision to marry former Suits actress Meghan Markle, 43, to his moving to California in 2020 amid a seemingly hopeless estrangement from sibling Prince William, 42, and their father, King Charles III, 76. 

The truth, Paul believes, is that Diana would never have stood for her sons' ongoing feud. "If Diana had lived, she would have steered [Harry] in a different direction and he would have been influenced by her to stay at his brother's side," Paul says. Instead, "Meghan gave Harry the confidence to leave the royal family."

Meghan Markle Is Calling the Shots in Marriage to Prince Harry

She's become his most trusted advisor. "I truly believe that Meghan bewitched him and when she whispered in his ear, ‘Together we could change the world,'" Paul speculates, "Harry heard his mother's voice, not Meghan's." 

In the past, no matter the scandals he found himself involved in - whether it was landing in hot water for wearing a Nazi costume to a party or being photographed naked during a game of strip billiards in Las Vegas - "Harry was always gregarious and kept family and friends close. But Meghan has changed that by alienating him from them," Paul, 66, claims, adding that the army vet no longer seems to have the "extensive support network" around him that he once had. "Now, he appears to be reliant solely on Meghan. Her word seems to be final."

And that, Paul believes, has had unfortunate consequences. "Harry, like his mother, always went the extra mile with people," the A Royal Duty author explains. "In the royal pack of cards, Harry was always the joker and much more open." 

These days, however, the prince with the "kind" and "sensitive" but also sometimes "petulant" personality - last year, Diana: Closely Guarded Secret writer Robert Jobson alleged Harry was prone to "mood swings" - "is always defensive and protective of his enclosed world," Paul laments.

Princess Diana ‘Would Have Embraced' Harry's ‘Plea for Independence'

When Harry married Meghan in 2018, Paul was thrilled. He thought the American divorcée was "a breath of fresh air" who "could bring her influence to bear inside the royal family in a positive way." But within a short few months, he watched as Harry and Meghan "drained an ocean of goodwill with both the royal family and the British people." 

Less than two years later, the Sussexes had fled to America amid growing frustrations with the monarchy, whom they've accused of quietly fueling press attacks on Meghan and failing to support her both publicly and privately. Last year on stage at The New York Times Dealbook Summit, Harry insisted he's living "the life my mum wanted for me." While Paul believes Diana "would have embraced their plea for independence," he also thinks she "would have counselled them to stay close to the royal family."

Harry Was ‘Devoted' to Princess Diana

Diana was Harry's world. Though he was a rascal, "he listened to her," Paul remembers. "He was devoted to her." That's why Harry found his recent decision to resign as patron of Sentebale - a charity that supports young people in Africa affected by HIV/AIDS - "devastating." 

In a March 25 statement, it was insinuated he and cofounder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho had no choice but to step down "in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same" amid an "untenable situation" with the board's chairwoman. "Harry's heartbroken for many reasons," a source tells Life & Style, "but mainly because the charity was [created in 2006] in his mother's honor. But the issues with the chairwoman forced his hand."

Paul understands Harry has often had to tread an "unconventional path" in his role as the spare heir. Nevertheless, he'll always remember the "sweet, kind and considerate boy" Harry used to be. Those traits "are still there," he says, "even though he thinks that it is the world versus him and Meghan."