Prince Harry The Spare: Helped Or Hindered By Princess Diana?

A few weeks ago, a podcast discussed how Prince Harry heard from his mom that she felt that her youngest darling would make a good king.

Well, since then the conversation continued online, with some folks wondering if Princess Diana hindered him in his growth rather than helping him cope with being the spare to the heir. Read on for more details.

William Didn’t Want To Be King

Fox News wrote an article about what Princess Diana allegedly said to her youngest son. Harry was never going to be King, and a bunch of panelists talked about it on Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast.

A major topic centered around Prince William, who as the older brother, really didn’t want to become King. The outlet cited Helena Chard as saying that when he was a kid, the eldest son just wanted to become “a police officer to protect his mother from press intrusion.”

Diana Wasn’t Sure About William?

Naturally, that was a kid’s impression about choices, and interestingly, Prince George currently holds a similar childish ambition. But for Harry, things were different. Apparently, being second to the heir concerned him long before his infamous book, Spare.

In the podcast, Richard Kay, an author who knew Diana well, claimed that Diana suspected her “shy” oldest son might not take to leadership. So, she tried preparing little Prince Harry for the possibility that he might rule one day. Kay claimed, “She had a little nickname for Harry: she used to call him ‘Good King Harry.'”

King Harry In Mom’s Eyes

Well, that might have pleased the youngest child, but did a devoted mom really prepare Harry for the possiblity of ruling the monarchy one day?  Or, instead, was she simply making her little boy feel better about himself? After all, being a good King meant he was probably a good boy in the eyes of a devoted mom.

Perhaps inadvertently, though, Prince Harry took it to heart and his resentment against William grew when he showed signs of not taking a different career path. To this day, Harry talks about his mom and the pain of being spare, as if it reflects on him as a person rather than on an old tradition of succession.

Some People Hated The Conversation 

In the comments section, some people felt the podcast made Diana into a fool, which wasn’t true. After all, they don’t believe for a second that she would have raised Harry’s hopes up to become King.

One angry person opined, “That’s a load of cr*p, regarding Diana preparing Harry for the crown. Queen Elizabeth wouldn’t have tolerated such ideas.”

In agreement but taking it further, another critic noted, “This headline suggests Diana was stupid, dangerous and interfering. What a shame but we can see the genesis for the behaviour of the spare.”

Others Wonder About Damage To Harry

Here are a few other reactions from the discussion, and some of them suggest that if it really happened, then Diana didn’t help Harry, but hindered his acceptance of his role in royal life:

• So then Diana sowed the seeds for Harry’s resentment & jealousy instead of preparing him for a supportive role
• William had an appointment with the Queen regularly, where he learned history and she groomed him to be a monarch. When Diana was alive, Harry went to the appointment, too. That ended after her death.
• No wonder he is so jealous of Prince William in-line for being King. Mummy said it should have been him.
• Diana played favourites with her sons, and this is the result. All this ‘Good King Harry’ rubbish has been caustic.

Of course, there is no actual proof or recording that Princess Diana said any such thing to Harry. But, it certainly makes royal family watchers suspect it might have been a hindrance more than a help if it happened. What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your royal family news and updates.