"Haz," "H," "Good King Harry," "Spike" — the Duke of Sussex
has had plenty of nicknames over the years, but one in particular really
upset Princess Diana. Here's the mean moniker Diana couldn't stand.
It's been 25 years since Princess Diana was tragically killed in a
car accident in Paris. Her spirit lives on in her children, Prince William and Prince Harry,
though it seems that Prince Harry's life more closely mirrors his mother's.
Like Princess Diana, Harry is widely admired by not only the British population,
but by people from across the globe.
"I could not love and respect him more, and I know all of you feel the same."
His compassionate spirit and philanthropic nature have won people over and endeared him in the
hearts of many. Unfortunately, this popularity and visibility has come with some huge downsides
for the prince — especially in recent years since he went public with his now-wife Meghan Markle.
While there's always been an intense interest in the younger prince's love life,
just as there was with Princess Diana's tumultuous marriage and subsequent divorce
from Prince Charles (now King Charles III), Meghan's American citizenship and bi-racial
identity appear to have caused some controversy, according to the Duchess and her husband.
During Meghan's 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey,
she shared that racism from the press and the royal family influenced their decision
to step down from their royal duties and move from England to the United States.
And while it may have been impossible for Princess Diana to foresee the difficult path her youngest
son would walk down, she did express concerns about certain aspects of Prince Harry's possible
future. In particular, Diana was worried about Prince Harry's popular nickname in the media.
As the second-born son of Diana and Charles, Prince Harry's ascension to the throne has always
seemed rather unlikely. At the time of his birth, Prince Harry was third in line to the throne,
just behind his father and his older brother, Prince William. However, the birth of Prince
William's three children has now pushed Prince Harry down to fifth in line for the throne.
The second-born child is commonly referred to as "the spare to the heir" — and Princess Diana
was reportedly not a fan of that nickname. James Patterson, author of "Diana, William, and Harry:
The Heartbreaking Story of a Princess and Mother," claims that Princess Diana didn't care for the
"spare" label that the media placed on her younger son. Patterson shared with Fox News,
"I think she tried to control it as much as she could. I think she was troubled
about it. She simply wanted [her sons] to be normal kids and understand that
the real world doesn't operate in the same way it worked within the palace."
Prince Harry lost his mother at a young age, but he continues to pay tribute to Princess Diana
throughout the various stages of his life, proving he's anything but just a "spare."
Prince Harry's creation of The Invictus Games — which allows wounded and otherwise
injured servicemen to compete in a variety of sporting events — was
even inspired by his mother. Prince Harry shared with People in 2016,
"I certainly hope and believe everything I do
makes her proud. In the 12 short years I was lucky enough to have with her,
I saw and felt the energy and lift she got from helping others, no matter their background,
ailment or status. Her life and theirs was better for it, however short theirs or hers was."
Prince Harry also honors his mother through his wife,
Meghan Markle. Before their wedding in 2018, Prince Harry proposed to
Meghan with a diamond from Botswana, which once belonged to Princess Diana.
And for their wedding, he hand-picked flowers from a garden inside of Kensington Palace
as tribute to his mom. Of course, the greatest way that Prince Harry
is honoring his mother's legacy is by protecting his wife and family.
"My biggest concern was history repeating itself."
Prince Harry shared with Oprah in 2021,
"What I was seeing was history repeating itself. More perhaps,
or far more dangerously, because then you add race in, and social
media in. And when I'm talking about history repeating itself, I'm talking about my mother."