Meghan Markle compared with Princess Diana by Tom Bower

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Meghan Markle’s commitment to philanthropy and humanitarian work was a key factor in Prince Harry’s decision to marry the US actress, claims a royal fan. Both before and during her time as a working royal, the Duchess of Sussex was involved in several charitable projects, a quality that “mirrors” the actions of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. 

Commenting on the Royally Us podcast, a royal fan claimed: “Meghan has been doing philanthropic work her entire life – long before Harry.

“Besides her physical attributes, I believe Harry married her because she had activist qualities similar to his mother.

“So in being her well-established self, Meghan mirrors Diana.”

Host Christina Garibaldi continued: “Like this person said, she was doing this work beforehand, maybe she was inspired by Diana at some point in her life. But I don’t think she’s doing a play-by-play of what Diana was doing.”

During her lifetime, Princess Diana was renowned for her philanthropy and her involvement in a number of charitable organisations. 

She is credited with the breaking the mould of the Royal Family, due to her affectionate and informal nature, which often saw her physically interact with patients and members of the public. 

In 1989, she had profound impact on the public and the press after she hugged a seven-year-old victim of AIDS, who was receiving treatment at the Harlem Hospital Centre in New York. 

At the time, AIDS and HIV carried a strong social stigma and was greatly misunderstood by the general public. Princess Diana made it clear she was not averse to making physical contact with AIDS patients, often holding their hands when she went to visit clinics and hospitals. 

In an effort to de-stigmatise the illness, she said: “HIV does not make people dangerous to know. You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it.” 

She took a similar approach to victims of leprosy, which many people believed could be transmitted by physical contact. With the charity The Leprosy Mission, she visited hospitals in India, Nepal, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria in an effort to draw awareness to the disease. 

Her other charity work included a strong focus on victims of landmines, cancer patients, homeless people and mental health. 

Princess Diana tragically died at the age of 36 after her vehicle crashed in a tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997. 

Prince Harry has spoken several times of the profound impact his mother’s death had on his mental health, and his desire to preserve her legacy by committing himself to humanitarian work.

On July 1, Prince Harry joined Prince William in unveiling a state dedicated to their mother’s honour. The brothers commissioned the statue to celebrate what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday, and is a reflection of her commitment to philanthropy and charity. 

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During an interview for their engagement, Prince Harry said Meghan Marke and his mother would have been “best friends” and “thick as thieves”. 

He had met the Suits actress in July 2016 on a blind date which had been organised by a mutual friend. The couple were married on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. 

Before joining the Royal Family, Meghan had been involved with a number of organisations, including World Vision Canada and One Young World. Through her philanthropy, she had travelled to Rwanda, Afghanistan and India, and had worked with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women as an Advocate. 

As a working royal, her patronages included the Association of Commonwealth Universities and Smartworks. She helped raised funds for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire by contributing and raising funds through a cookbook. 

Prince Harry and Meghan have now established their own charitable foundation, Archewell, which aims to tackle issues around female empowerment, mental health and climate change. 

As one of her first projects, the Duchess of Sussex launched her 40×40 initiative this summer, which helps unemployed women remobilise for the workforce through a mentorship scheme. 

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