Princess Diana once believed there was a chance Prince Harry could one day become king instead of his older brother, Prince William, according to one of her closest confidants.
The surprising revelation came from veteran royal journalist Richard Kay, a longtime friend of Diana who often spoke with the late princess privately about royal life and her hopes for her sons.
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, Kay recalled how Diana sometimes questioned whether William truly wanted the immense responsibility of the throne.
William, now the Prince of Wales and heir to the British crown, understood from an early age that he was destined to become king. But as a child and teenager, he was known to be shy and somewhat uneasy about the weight of that future.
Kay said Diana picked up on that hesitation.
“I think William has been a bit of a surprise,” Kay explained. “When his mother was still alive, she would tell me she never really thought William wanted the ‘top job,’ as she called it — the idea that he would one day wear the crown.”
Because of that, Diana reportedly kept another possibility in the back of her mind.
“She was preparing the way for the possibility that it would be Harry who succeeded his father,” Kay said. “She even had a nickname for him. She used to call him ‘Good King Harry,’ a throwback to medieval days.”
Of course, that scenario never came close to becoming reality.
William has since fully embraced his role as the future monarch, while Harry stepped away from royal duties in 2020 with his wife, Meghan Markle, and now lives in the United States.
Kay suggested history has likely worked out the way it was meant to.
“Things haven’t worked out like that, and I think we are all rather grateful that they haven’t,” he said.
The journalist compared the situation to past royal debates, noting that some people once speculated that Princess Margaret might have made a stronger monarch than her older sister, Queen Elizabeth II.
In the end, he said, the right person ended up on the throne.
“I think we got the right one in William as Prince of Wales,” Kay added.
According to Kay, William has grown into the role in a way that might have surprised even his mother. Alongside his wife, Princess Kate, he has begun shaping a more modern vision of the monarchy.
Kay believes William understands that the institution must evolve if it hopes to stay relevant in the modern world.
“What I quite like about him is that he is coming up with some quite different ways to approach royalty,” Kay said. “He recognizes that some aspects of the monarchy feel outdated and don’t resonate with the modern public.”
Diana and Kay developed a close friendship during the years he covered the royal beat. The princess would sometimes privately share her thoughts with him when she wanted her perspective to reach the public through the press.
The two even spent time together outside the spotlight, including trips to the movies.
Diana died in August 1997 at just 36 years old following a tragic car crash in Paris. Kay has previously revealed that he spoke with her on the phone the night before the accident.
Today, Diana’s two sons remain largely estranged.
Prince William and Prince Harry were last seen together publicly in August 2024 at the memorial service for their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes, in Norfolk. Witnesses said the brothers kept their distance, sitting apart and avoiding conversation.
The pair had previously reunited in July 2021 to unveil a statue honoring their mother at Kensington Palace on what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday.
They also appeared together during the funeral ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. However, when Harry returned to Britain in 2025 for charity events, the brothers were reportedly just eight miles apart at one point and still did not meet.
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She certainly wasnt right all the time…..as this statement proves