Princess Diana Meghan Markle
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Princess Diana: Channel 5 viewers compare late royal to Meghan Markle

The Interview That Shocked the World centred on her Panorama episode

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Diana: The Interview That Shocked the World had Channel 5 viewers praising the late royal as some compared her to Meghan Markle.

The documentary, shown last night (Sunday, October 11), took royal fans back to Diana’s BBC Panorama interview with journalist Martin Bashir.

Princess Diana The Interview Meghan Markle
Diana: The Interview That Shocked the World aired on Channel 5 last night (Credit: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo / Channel 5)

What did Princess Diana say in the BBC Panorama interview?

Filmed almost 25 years ago, their conversation covered everything from Diana’s failed marriage with Prince Charles to her battle with bulimia and her take on Charles’ lover Camilla Parker Bowles.

And those watching at home couldn’t help comparing the princess to the Duchess of Sussex and Diana’s youngest son, Prince Harry, who split from the royal family earlier this year.

Prince Harry Meghan Markle and Archie
The documentary had viewers comparing Diana to Meghan and Harry (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Read more: GMB: Piers Morgan hits back at Meghan Markle over claims of being ‘most trolled person in the world’

In January, the couple announced plans to step down as senior royals and start a new, financially independent life for themselves and their son, Archie.

The couple have since settled in California in the US.

Diana was open about her struggles with mental health in the Panorama interview and Meghan, equally, has been open about the struggles she has faced.

In the Sussexes’ Africa documentary, she admitted she was ‘not OK’, replying “Yes” when filmmaker Tom Bradby asked if it was “fair to say [you’re] not really OK? As in it’s really been a struggle?”

More recently, the duchess admitted struggling with the trolling she has faced, but finds comfort in meditation.

Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry live in the US following their split from the Royal Family (Credit: SplashNews.com)

What did viewers say about Meghan Markle and Diana: The Interview That Shocked the World?

A number of those watching Diana: The Interview That Shocked the World likened Diana to the Sussexes.

Others praised “brave” Diana and called her a “multi-faceted” woman.

Diana walked so that Harry and Meghan could run.

One said on Twitter: “Watching #DianaTheInterview and the similarities between her and Meghan Markle’s treatment by the press after straying from what was expected of them by some are striking.”

Another gushed, “Diana walked so that Harry and Meghan could run. What a bad[bleep]” and added in a separate tweet: “Diana was ahead of her time. Wow.”

However, a third said scathingly: “Watching #DianaTheInterview. Harry is so much like his mother, always the innocent victim – not! #HarryandMeghan #Megxit.”

https://twitter.com/shirley501800/status/1315401442539298816

https://twitter.com/chichiogwe/status/1315396366575849473

Someone else wrote: “‘But I’m a free spirit, unfortunately for some’… well, good for her. She’s acknowledging that she is a multi-faceted woman, she’s an imperfect human and not everyone is going to agree with her choices every time… #DianaTheInterview.”

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A fifth put, with a crying emoji: “I loved Diana and felt very sad for her!”

“I remember watching this in 1995. It was very brave of her to speak up about her own mental health at that time,” said a sixth, adding: “It wasn’t talked about much back then. RIP Diana.”

“Princess Di definitely had girl power,” tweeted another viewer.

https://twitter.com/davmcdngh/status/1315396840997695496

What did you think of Channel 5’s documentary? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor