 Princess Diana found in Queen Elizabeth II’s sister, Princess Margaret, a friend within the Royal Family, royal author Sarah Bradford said
 Diana joined the royals upon marrying Prince Charles on 29 July 1981. But she struggled to fit in and warm up to them, partially because of her “innate shyness and reserve” and partially because of the way she was regarded as in the Royal Family, Mrs Bradford said
 But Princess Margaret, a royal rebel in her youth, “empathised” with Princess Diana, according to the royal expert
  In her book ‘Diana’, Mrs Bradford wrote: “Princess Margaret was to become Diana’s real friend and champion within the family
 “In her youth she, like Diana, had been the media star of the Royal Family, glamorous, idolised and criticised
 “No stranger to defiant behaviour herself, she empathised with Diana, seeing in her a reflection of her own rebellious self
” READ MORE: Princess Diana’s anger at Prince Charles for ‘prioritising Queen Mother over her' While the pair clicked almost immediately, Diana struggled to get close to other members of the Royal Family
 Before the wedding, Princess Diana envisaged a role for herself that, as it turned out, was not needed within the palaces, as Mrs Bradford explained
 She said: “Although she revered the Queen, the aura which surrounded her mother-in-law, coupled with her innate shyness and reserve, precluded intimacy
 “Diana had once said that she saw her role as building bridges between her husband and his parents
  “Charles was in awe of his mother and intimidated by his father. “It soon became obvious to Diana that no such role was envisaged for her either by her husband or in-laws
” Prince Philip was less of an intimidating figure for the young princess than the Queen
 Mrs Bradford wrote: “The Duke of Edinburgh, always sympathetic to a pretty young girl, did his best to jolly her along, whirling her into dinner when she hung back overcome with shyness
” Other royals had all different attitude towards Diana.  Mrs Bradford said: “Prince Andrew she had known and liked since childhood, Prince Edward she simply ignored
 “Princess Anne, the strongest character of the younger royals, had little time for Diana
 “Of the older generation, the Queen Mother remained an enigma to Diana herself, although those who knew her well detected she did not like her
 “That Diana’s grandmother, Ruth Fermoy, later joined the ranks of those who denigrated her could be taken as an accurate reflection of her friend and employer’s views
” Baroness Fermoy was the mother of Frances, Diana’s mum, but also the Queen Mother's friend, confidante and lady in waiting
      
