Prince Harry's fiancee reportedly craves 'Diana 2.0' role

World
Europe

Princess-to-be Meghan Markle is looking to become "Diana 2.0," according to a new biography which details her lifelong embrace of good causes but also points to a calculating streak.

The American actress, who is set to marry her royal beau on May 19, is fiercely protective of "Brand Meghan" and sidelines people as she moves ahead in life, according to people who know her cited in the book.

"Meghan: A Hollywood Princess" details how the 36-year-old "Suits" star ditched her first husband in a way that also cost her a lifelong friend.

The biography, penned by British royal writer Andrew Morton, is due out on Thursday in the UK. Morton is also the man behind the blockbuster "Diana: Her True Story," written with the late princess's covert assistance.

Britain's Prince Harry said he was "thrilled" to be marrying his American girlfriend Meghan Markle. /AFP Photo

Diana comparison

Morton also details her fascination with Harry's mother, Diana, around the time of her death in 1997, watching her funeral in tears and studying old tapes of her marriage to Prince Charles.

Family friends said she was intrigued by Diana "not just for her style but for her independent humanitarian mission, seeing her as a role model".

Her childhood friend Ninaki Priddy is cited as saying: "She was always fascinated by the royal family. She wants to be princess Diana 2.0."

Morton says comparisons with Diana are inevitable, given her humanitarian work and glamorous appeal.

However, he notes the crucial distinction between the timid Diana, who married Charles aged 20, and the 36-year-old Hollywood actress.

"In some ways, the groomed and camera-ready Ms. Markle was the woman Diana always strove to become," he wrote.

US actress Meghan Markle is set to marry Britain's Prince Harry in May. /AFP Photo

Rising networker

The book also claims that as she finally found success as an actress, Markle shed her old acquaintances – including her film producer husband Trevor Engelson, who helped her get on the acting ladder with early parts.

"Her friends in Los Angeles noticed the change in her now that she was on the way up," Morton wrote. "She no longer had the time for friends she had known for years."

"A networker to her fingertips, she seemed to be carefully re-calibrating her life, forging new friendships with those who could burnish and develop her career."

Markle had been with Engelson since 2004 and they married in Jamaica in 2011. Shortly afterwards, she landed the role in "Suits" that would make her famous and her relationship with Engelson distant.

Their marriage collapsed in 2013.

Another friend said the decision to end the marriage was made by Markle and another that she sent her rings back in the post.

Britain's Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle. /Reuters Photo

Ancestors royals and slaves

The book finds Markle is descended from both British royalty and slaves.

On her mother's side, she is descended from slaves who worked on cotton plantations in Georgia.

On her father's, she is a descendant of king Robert I of Scotland. Robert the Bruce reigned from 1306 to 1329.

Diana's trusted biographer concludes that Markle "will make the monarchy seem more inclusive and relevant to multicultural Britain".

Armed with a sharp mind, sophistication, beauty and talent, Markle "will complement her husband and the august institution she has married into, bringing a freshness, diversity and warmth to the chilly corridors of Buckingham Palace."

(With input from AFP)