Harry compares Meghan to Diana in new doc: 'Same compassion, same empathy'

Prince Harry compared his wife, the former Meghan Markle, to his late mother Princess Diana in the first episode of the new Netflix documentary "Harry & Meghan."

“So much of what Meghan is, and how she is, is so similar to my mum,” Harry says. “She has the same compassion, the same empathy, she has the same confidence, she has this warmth about her."

Harry invoked his mom on multiple times in the documentary, including his value system — and how he made a decision "from the heart" when he married Meghan.

“My mom made most of her decisions, if not all of them, from her heart and I am my mother’s son," Harry said.

Diana died in 1997 in a tragic car accident in Paris at the age of 36. At the time, Harry was 12 (and today, he's 38). He said he doesn't have many early memories of his mom: "It was almost like I internally blocked them out," he said in the documentary.

“I always remember her cheeky laugh. She saying, ‘If you get in trouble, don’t get caught.’ I’ll always be that cheeky person inside," he said.

Harry also compared the press scrutiny he and the Duchess of Sussex experienced, both independently and together, to the paparazzi that dogged his mom until her literal last moments. A 2008 inquest into Diana's cause of death concluded that the crash was the result of a combination of chauffeur Henri Paul’s impaired driving and paparazzi photographers’ pursuit.

Harry said many of his childhood memories are of being "swarmed by paparazzi," which continued as he went to boarding school. He said, "There was always public pressure. With its fair share of drama, stress, tears. And witnessing those tears. You always see it on my mom’s face."

The documentary includes footage of Diana trying to convince paparazzi to put their cameras down during a ski trip with her children.

“As a parent, can I ask if you could respect my children’s space? As a parent, I want to protect children," Diana is shown saying.

Diana's memory is honored in the documentary, including when Meghan stands before a portrait of "Grandma Diana" while holding one of her two children. She's honored in other ways, too: Meghan's engagement ring contains two of Diana's diamonds and their second child Lilibet Diana is named after Harry's mom and paternal grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The six-part documentary series opens with a message to viewers: “This is a firsthand account of Harry and Meghan’s story, told with never before seen personal archive.” The Sussexes' production company, Archewell Productions, is one of three producers on the project.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com