Nearly three decades after
Princess Diana’s death, her brother Earl Charles Spencer has once again drawn a
direct connection between Diana’s experience with the press and the intense
scrutiny surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Speaking to the BBC’s Laura
Kuenssberg at Althorp, Spencer said media coverage involving Diana, Harry and
Meghan could be “really, really unpleasant,” while warning that sustained
negative attention can have a damaging effect on a person’s life.
His comments arrive at an
especially sensitive moment for the Royal Family.
Prince Harry and Meghan have
returned to the United Kingdom after years based in California, while
long-running disagreements over the British press, royal relationships and
security arrangements continue to attract international attention.
At the same time, Spencer is
preparing to publish Swan
Song: Diana, My Sister, a memoir containing disputed claims about
his relationship with King Charles and his memories of the aftermath of Diana’s
death.
That combination has made
Spencer’s latest interview considerably more significant than a straightforward
discussion about the media.
Earl Spencer Says He Sees “Echoes”
of Diana in Harry and Meghan’s Experience
During his BBC interview, Spencer
was asked whether he believed Diana would recognize aspects of Harry and
Meghan’s experience.
He emphasized that he was not
speaking on behalf of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Instead, Spencer spoke from his
own experience of watching Diana deal with sustained media criticism.
“If you look at an article in a
tabloid about Diana or the couple that you were mentioning, Harry and Meghan,
you know, they can be really, really unpleasant,” he said, according to
reporting on the interview. He added that people should learn from Diana’s
experience.
Spencer went further, describing
relentless negative coverage as a “cancerous influence” on someone’s life.
That choice of language immediately
connected his latest remarks with one of the defining themes of Diana’s public
life: the extraordinary relationship between the Princess of Wales and the
media.
The treatment of the Sussexes has been slammed (Credit: CON
CHRONIS/EPA/Shutterstock)
The Memories of Diana That Still
Shape Spencer’s Views
For Spencer, the comparison is not
theoretical.
He has repeatedly spoken about
seeing the personal impact of press criticism on his sister.
In the BBC interview, he recalled
Diana’s distress and described her as particularly sensitive to criticism. He
said she had been brought low by the volume of negative attention surrounding
her.
Spencer said it was a “pity” to
see what he regarded as echoes of that experience in the coverage involving
Harry and Meghan.
The comments provide an important
insight into why Spencer continues to speak about media treatment decades after
Diana’s death.
For him, the issue is connected
not only to journalism or celebrity coverage but also to what he remembers
happening to a member of his own family.
That personal perspective is
central to understanding his position.
Why the Harry and Meghan
Comparison Is So Significant
Harry and Meghan have spent years
publicly discussing their relationship with the British media.
Their criticism has included
concerns about intrusive coverage, negative reporting and the effect of
sustained press attention on their family.
Harry has also pursued legal
action relating to media organizations and has repeatedly discussed his
concerns about security and press intrusion.
Spencer’s comments therefore
arrive within an already established debate over royal media coverage,
privacy,
press accountability
and the boundaries between public interest and personal intrusion.
But there is an important
distinction.
Spencer is drawing the comparison
based on his own interpretation of the circumstances. His comments do not
establish that Harry and Meghan's experience is identical to Diana's.
The historical circumstances are
different, the media environment has changed dramatically, and Harry and Meghan
have themselves chosen to speak publicly about aspects of their lives.
What Spencer is highlighting is
the pattern of sustained public scrutiny and its potential emotional impact.
A Family History That Makes the
Comments More Personal
The comparison carries additional
weight because Spencer is not an outside royal commentator.
He is Diana’s brother.
He witnessed much of the intense
public attention surrounding her during the 1980s and 1990s and became one of
the most prominent family voices following her death.
His 1997 funeral eulogy for Diana
famously criticized the treatment she received from the media and the pressures
surrounding her public life.
Nearly 30 years later, his
perspective remains closely connected with discussions about the relationship
between the Royal Family and the press.
That history explains why his
comments about Harry and Meghan are receiving so much attention.
Spencer Says He Supports Both of
Diana’s Sons
The interview also addressed
another issue that has followed Spencer for years: the perception that he has
become particularly aligned with Prince Harry.
Harry and Prince William have had
a publicly documented period of strained relations, prompting speculation about
which members of Diana’s family support one brother over the other.
Spencer rejected the idea that he
has chosen between them.
He made his position clear by
saying he was on the side of “my deceased sister’s sons, both of them.”
He also said he would be equally
available if either William or Harry needed something.
That clarification is significant
because Spencer’s recent public comments have frequently been discussed through
the lens of the wider Prince
Harry and Prince William relationship.
Rather than presenting himself as
a supporter of one brother against the other, Spencer framed his position
around his relationship with Diana’s two sons.
Earl Spencer has defended his nephew (Credit: BBC)
Why the Timing of His Comments
Matters
Spencer’s interview comes as Harry
and Meghan’s relationship with the United Kingdom once again receives
international attention.
The couple stepped back from their
roles as working members of the Royal Family in 2020 and subsequently
established their main home in California.
Their return to Britain has
brought renewed questions about security, family relationships and their
relationship with the British press.
Those issues are also closely
connected to Harry’s ongoing legal disputes and public arguments concerning
official protection.
Spencer’s comments therefore
arrive at a moment when the broader debate over royal security, press scrutiny, privacy rights and
Harry and Meghan’s
relationship with the monarchy is already highly active.
His intervention gives the
discussion another historical dimension by bringing Diana’s experience back
into the conversation.
The Unresolved Question of What
Happened After Diana’s Death
The BBC interview also returned to
another major controversy surrounding Spencer: his disputed account of
conversations with King Charles following Diana’s death.
Spencer has claimed that Charles
made deeply dismissive remarks about Diana during a telephone conversation
shortly after her death.
Those allegations appear in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister
and have prompted an unusually direct response from Buckingham Palace.
The Palace has not accepted
Spencer’s account.
Instead, a spokesperson said the
King was mindful that grief can affect reason, judgment and memory,
particularly many years after a traumatic family loss.
The wording was notable because
Buckingham Palace generally avoids commenting on claims made in books.
The response therefore became a
major part of the story itself.
Spencer Stands by His Account
Asked about the Palace response,
Spencer questioned whether the King was angry about his claims or embarrassed
by them.
He continued to insist that the
conversation he described took place.
Spencer has also argued that he
told friends and relatives about the alleged conversation at the time because
he found the remarks so shocking.
During the BBC interview, he
maintained that he was telling the truth.
This remains a disputed historical
account rather than an independently verified recording of a private
conversation.
That distinction is important.
Spencer's memoir provides his
recollection of events. The Palace has challenged that recollection. Public
reporting cannot independently establish the precise words exchanged during a
private telephone conversation decades ago.
Why the Memoir Has Become a Major
Royal Story
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is not simply another book about
the late Princess of Wales.
It is being published by Diana’s
brother and contains his personal memories of one of the most turbulent periods
in modern British royal history.
The memoir addresses Diana’s life,
her relationship with the Royal Family, the circumstances surrounding her death
and Spencer’s own experiences in the aftermath.
It also contains allegations
involving King Charles that Buckingham Palace has publicly pushed back against.
That combination has transformed
the book into a major Royal
Family controversy before its official publication.
The timing is particularly
significant because the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death is approaching.
Interest in Diana remains
enormous, meaning new revelations about her family and final years can quickly
become international news.
Diana’s Relationship With the
Press Remains a Sensitive Subject
Diana's relationship with the
media has been examined for decades.
She was among the most
photographed people in the world, and her interactions with newspapers and
broadcasters became a defining feature of her public life.
At times, she actively used media
attention to communicate with the public.
At other times, she criticized the
intrusion surrounding her private life.
Her death intensified the debate
over the responsibilities of photographers, newspapers and broadcasters when
covering members of the Royal Family.
Spencer’s latest comments show
that the argument has not disappeared.
Instead, it has evolved alongside
a new generation of royals.
The Media Landscape Has Changed
Since Diana’s Era
One major difference between
Diana’s experience and the current environment is technology.
Diana lived through an era dominated
by newspapers, television photographers and broadcast interviews.
Harry and Meghan operate in an
environment shaped by websites, social media platforms, video-sharing services
and instant global distribution.
A single photograph or headline
can now circulate internationally within minutes.
That makes Spencer’s warning about
sustained media attention relevant to a much broader information environment.
At the same time, today's public
figures have more opportunities to communicate directly with audiences without
relying entirely on traditional news organizations.
Harry and Meghan have used
interviews, documentaries, podcasts and other platforms to tell their own
stories.
That creates a complicated
relationship between celebrity
media coverage, public relations and personal privacy.
Spencer’s Message Goes Beyond
Harry and Meghan
Although the immediate subject was
the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Spencer framed his comments more broadly.
His concern was about anyone
subjected to relentless negative coverage.
He argued that people should learn
from what happened to Diana rather than simply repeating the patterns he
believes contributed to her distress.
That makes his intervention
relevant beyond the specific disagreement between the Sussexes and the British
press.
It touches on a much larger
question: how much scrutiny should public figures reasonably expect, and where
should the boundary between legitimate journalism and personal intrusion be
drawn?
Those questions have no simple
answer.
Public figures can be subject to
legitimate reporting about their actions, finances, public responsibilities and
statements. At the same time, privacy and responsible journalism remain
important considerations, particularly when reporting becomes intensely
personal.
What Spencer’s Position Actually
Is
Taken together, the BBC interview
shows several distinct elements of Spencer’s position.
First, he believes aspects of the
press treatment of Harry and Meghan resemble what Diana experienced.
Second, he says he is not speaking
on behalf of the Sussexes.
Third, he says he supports both of
Diana’s sons rather than choosing between Harry and William.
Fourth, he continues to stand by
his disputed account of conversations with King Charles.
And fifth, he is using his
forthcoming memoir to present his own perspective on Diana and the events
surrounding her death.
These points are sometimes blended
together in online discussions, but separating them provides a clearer picture
of what Spencer is actually saying.
Diana died in 1997 (Credit: Splash News)
The Bigger Story: Diana’s Legacy
Still Shapes the Royal Family
Almost three decades after Diana’s
death, her influence remains visible throughout the Royal Family.
William and Harry were both
profoundly shaped by their experience growing up as Diana’s sons.
Their different approaches to
royal life have become one of the defining stories of the modern monarchy.
William has remained a senior
working royal and is the heir to the throne.
Harry stepped away from his role
as a working royal and established a life in the United States with Meghan and
their children.
Their different paths have
inevitably encouraged comparisons with their mother.
Spencer’s comments add another
perspective: that the media environment surrounding Diana may still offer
lessons for how the public, press and Royal Family respond to Harry and Meghan.
A Memoir, a Palace Response and an
Old Debate
The timing of Spencer’s latest
interview ensures that several stories are now converging.
There is the continuing discussion
over Harry and Meghan's relationship with the British press.
There is the question of official
security and the couple's return to Britain.
There is the unresolved tension
between Harry and other members of the Royal Family.
And there is Spencer’s memoir, which
has already prompted Buckingham Palace to respond to one of its central claims.
Together, those developments have
revived questions that many people assumed belonged to an earlier era of the
monarchy.
But Diana’s story continues to
influence the present.
Why the Spencer Interview Could
Keep Generating Headlines
Spencer’s remarks have arrived
just before the publication of Swan
Song: Diana, My Sister, meaning public attention is likely to
remain focused on his account.
Every new excerpt has the
potential to reopen questions about Diana’s final years, her relationship with
the Royal Family and the treatment she received from the media.
The BBC interview has now added
another dimension by bringing Harry and Meghan into the discussion.
Whether readers agree with
Spencer’s comparison or not, his argument is clear: he believes the experiences
of Diana, Harry and Meghan contain enough similarities that the lessons of the
past should not be ignored.
For a family whose modern history has been shaped by
the relationship between royalty and the press, that is a message with
considerable resonance.
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