Meghan Markle can "relate to Princess Diana" from a challenging childhood and feeling like an "outsider" within the Royal Family, a royal expert said.
Meghan and the late Diana both married into the Royal Family where they faced their own individual challenges in adapting to life as a royal, particularly for Meghan having grown up in America away from the monarchy.
Historian, writer and broadcaster Tessa Dunlop spoke exclusively to OK! and said while Diana had an "advantage over Meghan", there are a number of similarities between the pair which are relatable.
Explaining this Tessa said: "Diana was posh but that meant she kind of understood the barmy nature of aristocracy.
"Meghan comes from America, so I can understand that it's unfamiliar, while for Diana it would be absolute second nature in a way. Her father went on the Commonwealth tour with the Queen, the families were close (the Spencers and the Royal Family).
"In that respective, Diana spoke the language of royalty and aristocracy in a way that Meghan didn't and that was an advantage.
Tessa went on to explain their similarities and said: "But where the two are aligned is that they both came from places of pain in terms of their childhood, I think Prince Harry bonded with Meghan over having a painful childhood.
"Some of us are blessed with a happy childhood and others aren't, you grow up thinking differently.
"If you can find someone who understands them, that's really helpful and I think Harry found that with Meghan and I think Meghan would also share that with Diana.
"Historically we know Diana had a really, very challenging time as a child, her parents divorced in a public and unpleasant way when other parents weren't getting divorced.
"She didn't have a way of processing that and she was sent off to boarding school."
The royal expert continued: "Meghan had a different set of challenges, we know that her parents separated and that she was an only child, at least on one side of the family.
"I think there would have been some considerable challenges around growing up as a woman of colour, in a biracial family and I think we can own that there would have been challenges there – not the exact same as Diana but with parallel.
"When you have that growing up slightly as an outsider within the family, you can see that slightly parallel in the way in which Diana and Meghan both identified as outsiders within the royal family.
"Certainly towards the end with Diana and even within her own marriage, feeling like the outsider and then of course she lost her HRH title and there was an element of calling truth to power by the end and feeling like she could go it alone.
"She was going to have to go alone, she was going it alone – once the couple got divorced.
"Not pitting herself against the Royal Family, but trying to find a path outside the Royal Family and sometimes saying things that upset them.
"There were aspects of Diana's legacy that Meghan might feel she relates to."
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