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Princess Diana prepared Prince Harry to be king over ‘shy’ Prince William: friend
By Stephanie Nolasco, Ashley Papa
Published March 23, 2026
As the rift between Prince William and Prince Harry deepens, a resurfaced account claims Princess Diana once quietly prepared her younger son for the possibility of becoming king.
Veteran royal writer Richard Kay, a close confidant of the late Princess of Wales, revealed on the Daily Mail’s "Palace Confidential" podcast that Diana believed William was already aware of his destiny, yet remained "shy" and quietly uneasy about the future awaiting him.
"I think William has been a bit of a surprise," said Kay. "He was a shy young man. Certainly, when his mother was still alive, she would tell me that she never really thought that William wanted the ‘top job,’ as she called it. The idea that he would one day wear the crown."
Prince William (left) and Prince Harry (right) arrive for the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, on what would have been her 60th birthday on July 1, 2021, in London. The brothers have been estranged since Harry moved to California in 2020. (Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
"She, in her mind, was preparing the way for the possibility that it would be Harry who succeeded his father," he claimed. "And she had a little nickname for Harry: she used to call him 'Good King Harry' — a throwback to medieval days. And, of course, things haven’t worked out that way."
Several royal experts who spoke to Fox News Digital pushed back on the claim, arguing that Diana always knew who would be king — and it wasn’t Harry.
Princess Diana with her sons Prince William (left) and Prince Harry (right) at the Heads of State VE Remembrance Service in Hyde Park on May 7, 1995, in London. (Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
"Prince William didn’t come out of the gate campaigning for the crown," Kinsey Schofield, host of "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital.
WATCH: PRINCE WILLIAM STILL HAUNTED BY PRINCESS DIANA'S TELL-ALL: AUTHOR
"He matured into it. That trajectory aligns well with the modern monarchy, which values duty over ambition. It positions him as thoughtful, measured, and crucially not entitled. In contrast, those who clamor for relevance tend to reveal exactly why they were never suited for the top job in the first place."
"This reads less like prophetic insight and more like a mother managing two very different little boys," Schofield shared.
Princess Diana is seen here taking her sons to Thorpe Park in 1993. (Photo by Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images)
"Diana was very sensitive to Harry feeling second best, so floating the idea of ‘Good King Harry’ feels like emotional equalization, not constitutional foresight. Prince William was always the introspective one, burdened early by the weight of expectation. Diana didn’t predict destiny so much as she tried to soften it."
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Royal experts told Fox News Digital that Princess Diana quickly noticed that Prince William (right) was shy and reserved. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
"The monarchy has never been uncertain about succession, only about sentiment," Schofield continued. "Diana understood the emotional cost of the role better than most, and she saw that William felt it deeply. Questioning whether he wanted it wasn’t doubting the institution; it was acknowledging that the job comes with a psychological price tag. That’s maternal realism, not constitutional anxiety."
Kay noted that, similarly, people used to speculate whether Princess Margaret would be better suited for the role of monarch than her sister, Princess Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth II (left) is seen here with her younger sister Princess Margaret. ( Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
"I think the consensus is 'we got the right one,' and I think we got the right one," he said. "We’ve got the right one in William as Prince of Wales. He seems to have grown into the role. As observers, we probably all agreed that he seemed a bit reticent, a bit reluctant, a bit shy. But he’s really grown into it."
Prince William listens to scientists during a visit to Isambard-AI, the U.K.'s most powerful supercomputer, at the University of Bristol on Jan. 22, 2026 in Bristol, England. The Prince of Wales was visiting Bristol to view the city's achievements in sustainability. (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)
"What I quite like about what I’ve seen of him ... is that he is coming up with some quite different ways to approach royalty," said Kay. "I think he recognizes that some aspects of monarchy ... don't resonate well with the modern public. And I think he's aware that he's going to have to make some big changes to ensure its survival."
Before William accepted his royal fate, he wanted a badge, not a crown, British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital. The heir’s childhood dream reportedly sparked a reaction from his brother.
Royal experts told Fox News Digital Prince William had childhood dreams of becoming a police officer so that he could protect his mother. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
"As a young child, William expressed disinterest in being king," said Chard. "Instead, he wanted to become a police officer to protect his mother from press intrusion. In fact, like many children, he was obsessed with becoming a police officer, something William had passed on to his son, George."
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Prince William (right) with Diana, Princess of Wales (left) and Prince Harry (center) on the day he joined Eton in September 1995. (Anwar Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
"Harry couldn’t believe his ears, deciding he would jump into his brother’s shoes and become king," said Chard. "Princess Diana reassured Harry, nicknaming him ‘Good King Harry’ to comfort him, aware he needed extra love and validation."
Schofield pointed out that in the later years, Diana made it known who would be king someday.
From left: Earl Charles Spencer, Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles follow Princess Diana's coffin to her funeral on Sept. 6, 1997, in London. (Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
"Let’s be clear, in the BBC ‘Panorama’ interview, she never once suggested Prince Harry as future king," she said. "In her own words, if the line of succession were ever to skip anyone, she pointed directly past then-Prince Charles to Prince William. That isn’t ambiguity. It’s conviction. She knew exactly who she believed should wear the crown. It was her firstborn son."
Martin Bashir is seen interviewing Princess Diana in Kensington Palace for the television program "Panorama." (© Pool Photograph/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images.)
"Diana was always concerned about Harry’s future role in life, as William was always given special privileges," chimed in royal expert Ian Pelham Turner.
"Giving Harry personal grooming may have been her way of redressing the balance. I believe William has every desire to become king. ... Harry has shown strength in leadership both in the army and in protecting his family abroad."
In this image released on Jan. 21, 2013, Prince Harry sits in the front seat of the cockpit of an Apache Helicopter Pilot/Gunner at the British controlled flight-line in Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. (John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The royal experts agreed that rivalry between the brothers was inevitable. Diana recognized that early on and urged them to stay close despite the vastly different paths that would ultimately pull them apart.
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Prince Harry's book "Spare" is seen on display in a branch of WH Smith opposite Windsor Castle on Jan. 10, 2023, in Windsor, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
"We always thought the brothers were close, but Harry’s ill-advised memoir ‘Spare’ clearly showed he was jealous of his brother, whose future was clearly mapped out, whereas his was not," said royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams.
"Harry may still be fifth in line to the throne, but he is not a working member of the royal family, from whom he is currently estranged."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
"William may have once been shy, but as his future role draws ever closer, he has been successful with his careful balance of activities. He is concentrating on several specific charities, has diplomatic skills, prioritizes his family, and uses his unique profile as future head of the world’s most high-profile monarchy both nationally and internationally very skillfully."
Prince William, seen here with his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, is heir to the British throne. (UK Press Pool/UK Press via Getty Images)
Diana passed away in 1997 from injuries she sustained in a Paris car crash. She was 36. Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California. William and Harry last reunited in August 2024 at the memorial for their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes. The brothers are said to not be on speaking terms.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/princess-diana-prepared-prince-harry-king-over-shy-prince-william-friend