What Princess Diana’s unlikely fondness for America meant long before Prince Harry lived it

Princess Diana may have been dubbed the “people’s princess” in death, but like most who find themselves at the mercy of the British media, she was not exempt from the harshest of criticisms while alive.

One of these disapprovals targeted the former Princess of Wales’ outward predilection for Americana — all things American.

Long before her youngest son, Prince Harry, moved to the New World, let’s take a look at what fascinated his mother about the American way of life — and how much of it was involuntarily associated with her merely because she had a penchant for doing things differently.

McDonald’s Princess

Diana’s compulsion towards Americana may have begun with quite a simple interaction.

In 1982, when the then newly cemented royal represented the establishment at Princess Grace Kelly’s funeral, Diana ran into Jack Edelstein, statistician for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Since the former actress was a Philly native, Edelstein had been paying his respects as a representative of the city’s football team and when Diana got chatting with him, she learned the peculiarities of the American sport and went home with a promise from the sport professional that he will send her the team’s merchandise.

After recieving his package, the young princess took a particular shine to the Eagles’ green and silver varsity jacket — “my favourite colours”, as she told Edelstein — and was spotted in the piece multiple times throughout her life.

A distinctly American piece of apparel, the varsity jacket, and US flag themed gym clothes, soon became Diana’s go-to. Coupled with her predisposition for American pop culture — movies, music, and more — the beloved royal earned the epithet “McDonald Princess” from her naysayers.

The American disease

Much like the censure of Prince Harry where his ‘Americanisation’ is concerned, it would appear that Princess Diana’s critics were also aiming at something far deeper than just her preferences.

While the American culture, pop and otherwise, specifically gained global foothold during the 1980s and it was not uncommon for young people to be enamoured by it, an evidently strong display of fondness for American tastes, especially by a public figure like Princess Diana, was a representation of foreign values among the Great Britain.

A former co-host for Royally Obsessed podcast, Roberta Fiorito once said, “There’s something very trailblazing about Diana that feels very American to us” — seemingly using the term “American” to describe alien behaviour.

And what were the qualities which would explain Diana’s “American” nature? “You know, not having the stiff upper lip but showing emotion, forging her own path.”

Indeed, a huge component of the criticism aimed at the Princess in regards to her foreign preferences was about her charmingly honest character, which resulted in not just a strong emotional display but also turning towards therapy and psychic help for her mental health.

This action in particular was dubbed “the American disease” by Venerable George Austin, Archdeacon of York.

The torchbearer son

While both of Princess Diana’s sons have carried her torch in many different ways, mental health is something that is central to both Prince William and Prince Harry’s activism — though the latter has been far more open and unapologetic about it.

Exemplifying his mother’s “American disease”, the Duke of Sussex has remained steadfast in his approach to mental health, even going so far as to name those family members who have contributed to its decline in his bombshell memoir, Spare.

Besides the public admissions, Harry has also supported causes related to the initiative — most recently being named, alongside Meghan Markle, as “Humanitarians of the Year” at the third World Mental Health Day Gala on Friday, October 10.