Princess Diana thought Prince Harry would make a better king than 'shy' William

A veteran royal writer who was also a trusted friend and confidante to Princess Diana has revealed it was Prince Harry whom she was preparing to one day be king over his brother and heir, Prince William.

Richard Kay, the editor at large for the Daily Mail and once a trusted royal correspondent, dropped the bombshell during the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential podcast.

Kay, who was apparently once so close to Diana that they would go go on outings to dinner and the movies, said she was so worried about William's shyness that she thought it would be Harry who would be the one to succeed their father, King Charles, and even gave her youngest son a special nickname befitting a future king.

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"I think William has been a bit of a surprise," Kay said.

"He was a shy young man. Certainly, when his mother was still alive, she would tell me that she never really thought that William wanted the 'top job,' as she called it.

"She, in her mind, was preparing the way for the possibility that it would be Harry who succeeded his father.

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"She had a nickname for Harry: She used to call him 'Good King Harry' – a throwback to medieval days.

"Things haven't worked out like that, and I think we are all rather grateful that they haven't."

At the time Princess Diana died in August 1997, William was just 15 and two months of age and was known to be very shy.

He already disliked the media and its growing intrusion in his life and that of his mother, whom both William and Harry largely blamed for her death after she was chased through the Paris streets by paparazzi.

But in the years since, William has grown more confident and at 43, married to Catherine, who now holds the title Princess of Wales, and with three children, seems comfortable that he will one day be King.

However, he has continued to do things his own way, and has hinted that the monarchy will see further changes once he accedes to the throne.

Kay said during the podcast the William and Harry comparison was similar to the late Queen Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret, who many believed at one time would have made a better Queen than her sister based on personality, only for history to show this was wrong.

"The consensus was 'We got the right one'. And, I think we got the right one in William as Prince of Wales," he said.

Kay said William had "grown into" his role and embraced his destiny, with Catherine by his side.

He also believes that William is finding different ways to approach being a royal.

"He recognises that some of the aspects of modern monarchy is antediluvian and doesn't resonate well with the modern public, and I think he is aware that he's going to have to make some big changes to ensure its survival," he added.

Kay has previously said he and Diana became so close that she often rang him for advice.

He has also claimed she called him just hours before her death and during the 40-minute chat told him she was planning a 'fresh start' on her return to England.

Sadly, she would never make it home, succumbing to her injuries in hospital following a car crash in a Paris tunnel, and plunging the world into mourning.

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