Princess Diana's Former Designer Defends Prince Harry & Meghan Markle

By Emily Lee

April 5, 2021

Princess Diana Wearing a Hat

Princess Diana's personal designer, Paul Costelloe, has spoken out in defense of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step down from their official roles within the Royal Family. Costelloe styled and dressed the late Princess of Wales Diana following her marriage to Prince Charles. He's previously opened up about the pressures Diana faced as a new member of The Firm. As a result, Costelloe has a ton of sympathy for his former client's son and his own growing family.

"I think sometimes royal living isn’t for everybody and the amount of restrictions required," Costelloe told the Irish Daily Mirror. “I think they are a young couple and I wish them well if they want to have their own lifestyle. I can understand perfectly where they are coming from."

Costelloe has had nothing but kind things to say about Princess Diana over the years, describing her as "incredibly warm and friendly" to him. "I always brought her flowers, which she seemed to appreciate," he recalled. "I don’t think she got many from Charles." 

The designer criticized Prince Harry's father, Prince Charles, for how he's handled the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's departure. "Charles is a coward," he said. "He is afraid. He wasn't able to handle the break-up of his marriage so he was already a loser in the way he behaved. It just wasn't in him to face up to the things he needed to face up to before it was too late."

During his bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry revealed his father had stopped taking his calls and cut him off financially in early 2020. He cited the money left to him by his mother as the reason he and Meghan were able to start over in California.

Photo: Getty

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