Meghan and Diana would've clashed over their views, says ex-butler: 'Diana wasn't interested in self-promotion'
Meghan would have clashed with Princess Diana if she were still alive today, the latter's former butler has claimed.
Paul Burrell, a former servant of the British Royal Household who was a footman for Queen Elizabeth II before he went on to serve as a butler for the Princess of Wales for 10 years, also said she wasn't "interested in self-promotion" like Meghan.
Burrell claimed that the Duchess of Sussex and Diana are very similar to each other and would have "clashed" over their opposing views if they had ever met.
"I think, possibly, they would have clashed," he said during a recent interview. "I imagine it would have been two strong, independent women with different views on things —it would have been a battle between Meghan's way and Diana's way."
The 61-year-old went on to suggest that Prince Harry was attracted to the 'Suits' actress because of the similarities she shared with his mother and because she was not a "pushover".
"Harry went for and married Meghan because she's like Diana," he said. "Both women who would always stand up for what they believe in and wouldn't be pushovers."
However, Burrell also said Meghan and Diana were different in the way they approached the media and used it to their advantage.
He said that Meghan has a "game plan" and is always looking for attention and a career boost, while the princess courted the media for more personal reasons.
He brought up Diana's infamous 1993 biography, 'Diana: Her True Story', which changed the way the public viewed the British monarchy and said she gave it the go-ahead because she wanted a "voice".
"I think the main difference between them is that Meghan has a game plan, whereas Diana was young and naive," Burrell shared. "Diana did the book with Andrew Morton and courted the press over the years because she didn't have a voice."
"And her strong-mindedness meant she cared and she felt the people of the country had a right to know what had gone on behind closed doors," he added.
Burrell admitted one could say Meghan is going about the way she does because she wants to do the same, but still expressed his doubts over the same.
"In years to come, we'll see her on red carpets, with A-list friends, in films perhaps," he said. "Diana wasn't like that — she wasn't interested in self-promotion."
The former butler had previously claimed that Meghan had no clue what she was in for when she married Harry and became a senior member of the royal family.
"Nobody can understand that world. It’s a very strange world," he told Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain. "That is a very strange family to marry into. Harry is sixth in line to the throne, he’s not going to make a huge difference to the monarchy."
"It’s very difficult for the outside world to understand what it’s like to live in a palace," he continued. "You don’t just marry one person, you marry the whole family."
"She had no idea what she was getting herself into, nobody can."