Princess Diana would have supported son Harry's decision to move to California

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle disappointed many members of the British royal family when they decided to quit as working royals last year. However, a friend of his mother, Princess Diana, has claimed that the late royal would have supported Harry's decision to quit royal life and move to the United States.

Royal expert Stewart Pearce, who worked as Diana's voice and presence coach, told Us Weekly that the Princess of Wales loved her two children Prince William and Prince Harry "passionately" and would therefore be supportive of any decision they took in order to be happy. He said: "I believe that she would be absolutely thrilled [with both boys] because that was her nature. She wasn't down in the dumps. She was a person who loved humor, who loved the levity of life, who loved expanding through life."

Pearce, who recently released his book "Diana The Voice of Change" which he had worked on with the late royal, revealed that Diana herself was considering settling down in the US prior to her death in a car crash in 1997.

Pearce knew that Diana had her "eye on a property" in Malibu, California, so Harry's decision to move to nearby Santa Barbara did not surprise him. "She was talking about buying a property in Malibu [saying] that would be 'really great' for the boys to have freedom so that they could surf," he said.

In his recent interviews, Harry himself fondly spoke about the outdoor activities he is able to enjoy with his son Archie at their Montecito home.

"Because they're both very sporty, you know, but they could surf, they could roller blade, they could Frisbee. So, she'd be in complete favor," Pearce added about Diana's wishes of a Malibu home.

The royal expert added that Harry and Meghan have honoured Diana's legacy in a way with their actions. He explained: "They're really taking on so much of what her legacy is, to bring liberation to the disenfranchised, the disassociated, the LGBTQ+ community, [the] Black Lives Matter [and] Me Too [movements]. All of this is within the understanding of what liberation she wanted to bring about in the sense of using her position as an egalitarian or humanitarian role, because people looked on her as being of iconic status the most."

"[Diana] wanted to use that position in a really positive way to say, 'Look, if I can support this, then there's no reason why the collective can't move into support of this very genuine, authentic, integral process that brings about the liberation of human spirit,'" Pearce added.

He noted that while Harry's controversial comments about the British monarchy and the impact of royal upbringing on his mental health have upset many, he and Meghan are "doing exactly what Diana would've wanted them to do."