She may have never gotten the chance to meet her future daughter-in-law, but Princess Diana‘s former assistant, Paul Burrell, said the late royal and Duchess Meghan (née Markle) have a lot more in common than fans might think. While exclusively chatting with Life & Style, the royal butler revealed how Diana and Meghan are similar.

“I am reminded of Princess Diana’s candidness and honesty,” Paul recently shared with the outlet, adding that the Duchess of Sussex, 38, displayed a similar sentiment as Diana during her most candid interview about adjusting to life in the public eye. “I saw someone raw, hurt and vulnerable, much the same as Diana did to the world.”

Paul compared Meghan’s demeanor in her interview with ITV News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby for the documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey to Diana before she was tragically killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997. “[Diana] shouted out loud, ‘Look at me. I am suffering inside this family,'” he explained, referring to her struggle of being a royal since marrying Prince Charles in 1981. “I think we saw a little of that with Megan and Harry.”

Diana’s former assistant — who also talked about the upcoming new documentary titled Princess Diana’s ‘Wicked’ Stepmother — added that Meghan and Diana would’ve gotten along just fine had she not been tragically killed after being followed in a car by aggressive paparazzi. “Diana would have embraced her and she would have guided her,” Paul shared. “It’s so sad that she’s not here now to enjoy Harry’s life and her new grandbabies.”

Besides the striking similarities between the late Princess of Wales and Prince Harry‘s wife, Paul praised Meghan for being a guiding light for the royal family. “I think Megan has all the qualities that are needed to be valuable for the royal family right now,” he explained. “Being a divorced woman, being mixed race, and being an American, and an actress, all those things rolled into one, are all things that the royal family have to address. It’s her time now.”

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Although the royal couple has been making headlines for many reasons as of late, Paul dished that Harry, 35, and Meghan — who welcomed their first royal son, baby Archie Harrison, this past May — are luckily going to get some time off with the holidays quickly approaching.

“I think you will see the royal couple go very quiet in the next few weeks, as they celebrate Thanksgiving in America with Archie, and so they should,” Paul added, referring to the royal trio’s plans to celebrate the November holiday in her native U.S. “It’s time for some fun. It’s time for some family time for the Sussexes.” 

We hope they enjoy their well-deserved time off!

Princess Diana’s ‘Wicked’ Stepmother premieres on the Smithsonian Channel on October 28th at 8:00 pm ET! 

Reporting by Diana Cooper.