The British Royal Paris Hilton Idolizes

As the heiress to a global hotel empire, Paris Hilton knows a thing or two about living like royalty. But although she may have been crowned the "Y2K princess" by the masses, when it comes to actual blue blood, there's one British royal that Hilton has always admired. During a 2024 interview with W magazine, the reality star was asked if there were any women she "looked up to as role models" and Hilton was resolute in her answer: Diana, Princess of Wales. The "Paris in Love" star gushed about the People's Princess' compassion, pointing out how Diana "was always using her platform to help children and help the world be a better place." 

It's not difficult to understand why Hilton would gravitate towards the beloved royal, whose personal struggles were relentlessly pursued by an intense media frenzy and ultimately killed her. Similarly, Hilton herself endured harrowing trauma in the public eye, but has since ditched her vapid party girl persona to speak openly about the injustices she was forced to confront in front of the whole world. This isn't the first time the hotel heiress has pointed to Diana as an inspiration either. 

While appearing on the "Magic Radio Breakfast" show, in 2023, she reiterated: "Princess Diana was always one of my idols," (via People). At the time, Hilton was promoting her book, "Paris: The Memoir," which was released just two months after Prince Harry's tell-all memoir, "Spare." The "Simple Life" star sympathized with the maverick royal, adding: "I know how it is with the media — it can be so hard when they are just invading your lives constantly. And he has had that his entire life." 

In fact, Paris Hilton may have been drawing on a first-hand account when discussing how Prince Harry felt. During a 2024 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," alongside her mother, the queen of the party scene revealed that she had once shared an unforgettable night out with Prince William and Prince Harry in London. The socialite recalled, "It was at the Park Lane Hilton, they used to have like this bar downstairs [...] It was a fun night." When Cohen cheekily wondered if there had been any flirting between Hilton and either prince, she replied coolly: "They were really nice." Notably, it wasn't the last time the reality star rubbed shoulders with literal royalty. 

In 2022, she appeared on Meghan Markle's "Archetypes" podcast, where the two bonded over the pressures put upon famous women and dissected the limiting and derogatory term "bimbo." Hilton also tearfully opened up about the abuse she endured as a girl. Speaking about Markle, who has faced her own share of personal tragedies, the hotel heiress remarked warmly: "I was like, oh my God, I love her. She's so cool. You're such a girl's girl." The People's Princess once said: "I want my boys to have an understanding of people's emotions, their insecurities, people's distress, and their hopes and dreams," (via Town & Country magazine). In her more mature, reflective phase, Hilton is doing just that.