Princess Dianawanted sonsPrince WilliamandPrince Harryto be “happy.”
“She loved her boys and would want them to be very happy,” the friend tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.
During the Oprah interview, Harry opened up about what his mother, who died in a 1997 car crash, would think about his exit from royal life.
“I think she would feel very angry with how this has panned out and very sad, but ultimately, all she’d ever want is for us to be happy,” he said.
Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William.Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty

Get the premiere issue of PEOPLERoyalsfor glamorous new photos and inside stories royals fans haven’t seen or read elsewhere! Subscribe atpeopleroyals.com/launch
“I think she saw it coming,” he added. “I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process.”
Prince Harry and Princess Diana.John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty

The Duke of Sussex also compared Meghan’s plight with that of his late mother’s.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey.Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions

Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah drew comparisons to Princess Diana’s explosive 1995 interview with the BBC’s Panorama, in which she spoke candidly about self-harm, depression and bulimia.
“I was ashamed because I couldn’t cope with the pressures,” Diana said at the time.
Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!
Harry said the “tipping point” for him was when his and Meghan’s calls for help went unanswered.
“What I was seeing was history repeating itself, but…far more dangerous, because then you add race in, and you add social media in,” he said. “And when I talk about history repeating itself, I’m talking about my mother.”
source: people.com