Prince Harry has disclosed the two-word plea his wife Meghan Markle made during her first visit to Princess Diana's grave in 2022. In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry wrote that Meghan knelt at the grave and prayed for 'clarity' and 'guidance'.
Harry's Account of the Visit
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to return to Britain next month for their first family visit in four years. Reports suggest the couple may visit the late Princess of Wales's final resting place at Althorp Park. Diana was buried on an island in the ornamental lake known as The Round Oval after her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. A path of 36 oak trees leads to the Oval, marking each year of her life.
In Spare, Harry described the emotional visit: “No visit to this place was ever easy, but this one… twenty-fifth anniversary. And Meg's first time. At long last, I was bringing the girl of my dreams home to meet mum.” He added that he placed flowers on the grave and spoke to his mother in his head, asking for guidance and clarity.
Meghan's Prayer
After Harry stepped away, Meghan knelt by the stone. Harry wrote: “When I came back, Meg was kneeling, eyes shut, palms against the stone. I asked, as we walked back to the boat, what she'd prayed for. Clarity, she said. And guidance.”
Originally, Princess Diana was to be buried in the Spencer family vault, but the plan was rejected over safety concerns. Her funeral on September 6, 1997, at Westminster Abbey was attended by 2,000 people and watched by an estimated 2.5 billion worldwide.
Harry on the Funeral Procession
In his memoir, Harry also reflected on walking behind his mother's coffin alongside Prince William, saying there was “absolutely no way” he would have let William do it alone, and vice versa. He described it as “role reversal.”
