Diana Reportedly Wanted Harry to Be King Over William Due to 1 Never-Been-Revealed Reason: ‘When His Mother Was Still Alive…’

Princess Diana passed away long enough ago that, at this point, we don’t really know what she would have thought of most of the things going on with the British royal family today. They all seemed so far-fetched almost 30 years ago, when she passed away. But one thing we do know is that she was a devoted mother who wanted the best for her two kids, Prince William and Prince Harry.

And according to a friend, she was even preparing Harry to be king. This was reportedly due to the fact that, as much as Prince William was aware of his duty from a very early age, he was a little apprehensive about stepping into the responsibility.

Veteran royal writer Richard Kay recounted how Diana felt on the Daily Mail‘s Palace Confidential podcast. “I think William has been a bit of a surprise. He was a shy young man,” Kay said. “Certainly, when his mother was still alive, she would tell me that she never really thought that William wanted the ‘top job,’ as she called it. The idea that he would one day wear the crown.”

“She, in her mind, was preparing the way for the possibility that it would be Harry who succeeded his father,” he added. “She had a nickname for Harry: She used to call him ‘Good King Harry’ — a throwback to medieval days.”

Of course, Prince William these days doesn’t seem like he is in any way unsure about his future, and Prince Harry is living in the United States. Two things Princess Diana probably could not have predicted.

Kay also brought up how, back in the day, people speculated that Princess Margaret would be better suited for the throne than Princess Elizabeth. That also changed later. “The consensus was ‘we got the right one.’ And, I think we got the right one in William as Prince of Wales,” he said.

Kay also spoke about how William has “grown into” the role. “What I quite like about him is that he is coming up with some quite different ways to approach royalty,” Kay added. “He recognizes that some of the aspects of modern monarchy is antediluvian and doesn’t resonate well with the modern public, and I think he is aware that he’s going to have to make some big changes to ensure its survival.”

Kay and Dana reportedly became close friends after he began covering the royal beat, with the princess privately sharing things with Kay to get her perspective out.

Prince Harry and Prince William are said to be estranged these days and have reportedly not met in person for years. Harry recently met up with his father, King Charles, and there are rumors that the two will meet up again when the king visits the US for a state visit in April. There are reportedly no plans for the brothers to meet at that time, even though William is reportedly also coming on the state visit alongside his father.