Meghan Markle and Princess Diana’s Royal Family Secrets Revealed in New Documentary

A two-part documentary reveals how Princess Diana’s unconventional and rebellious style paved the way for the dramatic changes that have rocked the royal family — including the addition of Meghan Markle.

The Story of The Royals sits down with royal heavyweights like Andrew Morton, whose explosive Diana: Her True Story exposed all of Princess Diana’s deep secrets and Lady Jane Rayne, one of Queen Elizabeth’s maids of honor. Additionally, Patrick Jephson, Princess Diana’s former secretary, gives royal fans a front row seat to the events that opened the door for Meghan Markle, an American biracial actress, to join the untouchable royal family.

The REELZ special suggests that Markle’s place as the Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry might never have come to be if Princess Diana had not paved the way for her in the 1980s and ‘90s.

“Women are generally not encouraged to be rebels (by the royal family), they are encouraged to be silent and do what they are told. That of course was not Diana,” says Gloria Allred, a Los Angeles women’s rights attorney interviewed for the documentary.

The special also reports on years of alleged infidelity by Prince Charles and his companion Camilla Parker-Bowles as well as Princess Diana and the alleged affairs that led to her divorce from Charles in 1996. The documentary moves on to the modern royal family as it rejects the age-old royal “fairy tale” and embraces the diversity of England and the world today.

“There’s no mistress in the fairy tale. This is where the fairy tale cracks and reality comes in,” says Allred.

For more on Markle and the modern face of the royal family, tune in to The Story of The Royals on Saturday, October 17, on REELZ at 8 p.m. ET.

Watch REELZ on DIRECTV 238, Dish Network 299, Verizon FiOS 692, AT&T U-verse 1799 and in HD on cable systems and streaming services nationwide. Find REELZ on your local cable or satellite provider at www.reelz.com.