A close friend of Princess Diana has revealed the late royal privately called her younger son Prince Harry “Good King Harry,” believing he possessed the qualities needed to rule—a striking glimpse into Diana’s concerns about whether the shy Prince William truly wanted the throne.
Richard Kay, a royal journalist who was one of the last people Diana spoke with before her tragic death in a Paris car crash in 1997, shared the intimate detail during an interview with The Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast. The revelation adds a poignant layer to understanding Diana’s relationship with both her sons and her vision for their futures.
Kay, who became friends with Diana after she contacted him in 1992 to thank him for a series of articles, spent considerable time with the Princess during the final years of her life. They would often have dinner, go to the movies, and take drives along the Norfolk coast where Diana grew up.
The journalist described Diana as amusing, with a wry sense of humor that rarely came across in public. His friendship with Diana afforded him unique insights into her private thoughts, including her concerns about the monarchy’s future. According to Kay, Diana sensed that William, who was 15 when she died, might struggle with the immense responsibility of becoming king. Harry, just 12 at the time of his mother’s death, apparently demonstrated qualities Diana believed would serve a monarch well.
Diana’s final phone call with Kay came on the evening of August 30, 1997, when she rang from the Ritz Hotel in Paris. The conversation, which lasted between 20 and 30 minutes, would prove to be one of the last calls the 36-year-old Princess made before the fatal crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in the early hours of August 31.
During that call, Diana was “in quite a good place,” Kay recalled. Above all, she wanted to return home and see her boys.
The Princess also discussed ambitious plans for her future, including a worldwide hospice network that Dodi Fayed would financially underwrite. Mohamed Fayed had agreed to finance a series of hospices for children in poorer parts of the world, with Diana planning to start the initiative in Egypt. Kay said it would be a major announcement—something she wanted to do, rather than things other people wanted her to do.
Diana had also planned to step back from certain charities. She was preparing to end her connection with the Red Cross, with Mohamed Fayed investing in a charity for landmine victims in which she would play a leading role. Diana told Kay she was getting out of all public duties because she’d had enough of the constant criticism.
Kay’s recent comments about Prince Harry have stirred controversy. When Harry suggested during an interview at The New York Times DealBook Summit that his current life in America with Meghan Markle was “as though it’s the life my mum wanted,” Kay pushed back strongly.
Kay acknowledged there was something about Meghan that Diana would have found “intriguing” and “slightly liberating.” He believes Diana would have admired Meghan’s independence and the fact that she offered Harry an escape route from royal duty.
However, Kay believes Diana would be deeply disappointed by the rift between Harry and William. While she would have admired Harry’s decision to settle in America, the fractured relationship between her sons would have troubled her greatly.
Diana herself had contemplated moving to the United States, Kay revealed. She discussed it right at the end of her life, talking about settling for a time in the U.S. The Princess loved America and felt she would be freer there, believing Hollywood stars lived their lives pretty much unhindered.
But Diana couldn’t abandon William and Harry while they were young boys. She hadn’t worked out how she could live in New York or California while maintaining the close contact she needed with her sons.
Kay has also criticized Harry’s recent comments about taking on the media in his mother’s name. “This idea that [Diana] didn’t have relationships with the media who were writing about her is pure and utter nonsense,” Kay told Palace Confidential. He noted that Diana made a point of getting to know many journalists—something Harry has not done.
The revelations about Diana calling Harry “Good King Harry” offer a touching window into a mother’s hopes for her sons, even as they underscore the complex legacy she left behind—one that continues to shape the royal family nearly three decades after her death.