Princess Diana was ‘very uncomfortable with Oprah’ and felt she ‘manipulated interviewees for higher ratings’, book says
PRINCESS Diana was "very uncomfortable" with Oprah Winfrey and felt she had manipulated interviewees for higher ratings, one of her friends has claimed.
Simone Simmons, a pal and confidante of the late princess, said Diana thought the chat show host was "only after sensationalism" and showed a "lack of respect" to her interview subjects.
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The fierce revelation comes just months after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry let loose on the Royal Family in their explosive chat with Oprah in March.
Harry claimed his dad and brother were "trapped" in the Royal Firm, while Meghan revealed she had had suicidal thoughts during her time as a working royal.
The bombshell interview was a result of Meghan and Harry's friendship with Oprah - who Diana, it seems, did not feel as comfortable to be around.
In an updated version of the book Battle of Brothers, Simone Simmons tells author Robert Lacey: “Diana felt very uncomfortable with Oprah.
“She thought that Oprah was only after sensationalism – like when she interviewed Fergie about her book, and all she wanted to talk about was Diana.
"That laid bare for Diana the basic lack of respect that she felt Oprah had towards her subjects and how she was just manipulating her to garner higher ratings."
Harry is said to have given his interview with Oprah within 24 hours of losing his military titles in February’s final Megxit deal.
And he was said to be fuming as a result.
A source said: “Harry and Meghan were very cross before Oprah because the final Megxit separation had just been signed off which included Harry not keeping military roles.
“That was what made him so angry. He’s very emotional and his military roles were very important to him given that he served.”
Many experts have since said the duke will regret the interview, with Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, saying the duke used it to air frustrations from his wife's experience with the Royal Family.
The expert : "Harry was clearly hurt and angry about Meghan's experience with the royals - and used the interview to get it out.
"But after returning home, I've no doubt he's been feeling embarrassed, regretful and awkward.
"He's now facing the consequences. I believe he'll regret that interview - and maybe his decision to leave the Royal Family."
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Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview bore a similar level of significance to Diana's interview with Martin Bashir in 1995.
The Princess of Wales infamously told Bashir "there was three of us in this marriage" referring to Prince Charles' affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
A probe has since found Bashir used fake documents to secure the scoop, with the BBC forced to apologise.