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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted the “ego rush” of celebrity and the “shallow flattery” that came with it, one of Princess Diana’s former aides has suggested.

Patrick Jephson served as private secretary for the former Princess of Wales from 1988 to 1996 – a turbulent in which period she divorced Charles and was cast aside by the monarchy.

He claims the notorious 1995 Panorama interview was the “death knell” for Diana’s career, after which she and Prince Charles were urged to divorce by The Queen.

Mr Jephson believes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are going down a similar path.

He wrote in the Daily Mail : “The temptation for some of today's Royal Family is to live like Diana after Panorama: no longer anchored to the humdrum concerns of British subjects, preferring the ego rush of the world stage and the shallow flattery of the international rich and famous.

“As perhaps her younger son Harry has discovered, you can escape the Palace but finding relevance and respect as just another celebrity is much, much harder.

“So much easier to take the shortcut: keep lawyers and PR wizards on retainer and preach platitudes to the unenlightened masses.

“Pretty soon, you have crossed the line from setting a good example — all a member of the Royal Family really has to do — to setting yourself up as an expert in public policy without the trouble of winning an election.”

Last month, Harry and Meghan hired a new PR team after realising they are “no longer the golden couple”.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took on Christine Schemer as their head of communications, who held the same role at Pinterest.

They also appointed Toya Holness, formerly of marketing firm Delux and a fan of ITV show The Palace, as press secretary,PR Weekreported.

It came days after theywere criticised for releasing pictures from a private Remembrance Sunday visitto a California cemetery.

The pair visited the Los Angeles National Cemetery to mark the occasion on November 9.

Critics afterwards questioned why they didn’t “do it privately” instead of carrying out “stunts”.

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A source told The Sun : “Meghan is well aware that she and Harry are no longer the golden couple.

“ Prince William and Kate can do no wrong now as far as the UK is concerned, whereas she and Harry are seen as a self-interested couple who quit the Royal Family to pursue their own interests.

“Meghan hopes to turn things around and show people how committed to doing good she is, and for them to see a different, more positive side to her.

“Whilst this isn’t crisis management as such, given her popularity ratings right now, it’s not far off.

“She’s taken on two ambitious, smart, career-driven women who have her best interests at heart.”

• Meghan Markle
• Prince Harry
• Princess Diana
• Royal Family

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