Residents of the Northamptonshire village closest to Princess Diana's family estate believe she would have been "horrified" by the way things have turned out for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and that her youngest son would never have left the UK if she were still alive.
People living in Long Buckby, around a 10-minute drive from the Althorp Estate, shared their views on the Sussexes' return to Britain. Diana grew up on the estate and died in 1997.
Residents share their thoughts on Harry and Meghan
Michael Parton, 79, a retired engineer who has lived in the area for 50 years, said Diana "would be gobsmacked" by the split. He added: "She would have been able to put them on the road to being reasonable English people. If you live here, you've got to accept the values of England."
Mr Parton expressed "grave doubts about Meghan's sincerity", describing her as "a user". He said: "She's using the situation to actually better her standing — not just that, to get further up in the food chain. I see them and I think if I was employing them, I'd have grave doubts of giving either of them a job. They don't seem to be sincere."
Comparisons to Edward and Wallis Simpson
Carol Bruce, 74, a retired Travis Perkins accountant who has lived in Long Buckby for 56 years, compared the couple to Edward and Wallis Simpson, who caused trouble for the monarchy in the 1930s. She said: "If they're back for long, they need to apologise for any ill feelings they've caused, and I think they need to show their true colours. If they've got problems, they need to air them with the Royal Family. Have a big discussion and get on with life. Life is too short, as we know with Diana."
Ms Bruce said Diana "would have banged Harry and William's heads together and said get on with life. I don't think we'd have had all these interviews and things. She'd have sorted it out — she wouldn't have let them go to America." She and her husband laid flowers at the gates of Althorp Estate after Diana's death, and she thinks Harry and Meghan could live there, as Earl Spencer would "welcome them". "It's a safe haven," she added.
Mixed views on the royal rift
Glynis Garratt, 79, who used to work in accounts and has been a villager all her life, said: "I don't think they should have gone off like they did. Harry is a royal and he should have stayed and helped his dad when he became king. There's a rift in the family — it's so sad." She added: "He left, he chose to go to America, and now he's come back, he's expecting everything. I do think we shouldn't be paying taxpayers' money to him."
About Diana, Ms Garratt said: "Diana was more of a people's person. She'd mix with all the village people in Bington. She used to go to try cricket. I think she'd be very upset. What would they have done if she were alive? They would have stayed, I think. She would have had the influence."
Wendy Morrison, 76, a retired childminder who has lived in the village for 48 years, said Diana would have been "horrified" by the family split. She echoed others' sentiments that the Sussexes are welcome to return to the UK if they wish, adding: "It's up to them really." But she is not sure if she would go out of her way to see them.
Jennifer Lawrence, 81, a retired High Court advocate who has lived in Long Buckby since 2014, said: "If I saw them in the street I'd almost certainly say, 'Hello, you two. How are you getting on?'" Everybody in the village would welcome them, she added, but the couple would have to do something "more important" for her to have respect for them. She asked: "Why have they come back, for God's sake? Why didn't they stay there in their enormous, great mansion?"
Rowland Wells, 79, said: "Why shouldn't they come back? He is royalty when all is said and done. Harry married certain controversy, but he's still part of the royal establishment. He'll always be a prince. I don't see a problem at all." He added: "Diana would have been very upset at the way things have turned out."
Paul, 61, who did not wish to provide his second name and has lived in the village for ten years, said it disappoints him to see that when someone's "lifestyle choices fail", they have a "safety net instead of them standing on their own two feet and doing their own living".
