Princess Diana’s brother said he hopes the tumultuous relationship between the royal siblings will one day be “resolved”
NEED TO KNOW
- Charles Spencer revealed where he stands when it comes to the rift between Prince William and Prince Harry
- Princess Diana’s brother said he hopes the tumultuous relationship between the royal siblings will one day be “resolved”
- The 9th Earl Spencer is releasing a book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which comes out Sept. 22
Charles Spencer revealed where he stands when it comes to the rift between his nephews, Prince William and Prince Harry, the children of his late sister, Princess Diana.
The 9th Earl Spencer spoke with the BBC for an interview released in full on Sunday, Sept. 20, to discuss his new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which comes out Sept. 22.
When asked about the tumultuous relationship between William, 44, and Harry, 42, and his viewpoint on it, Spencer, 62, said, “I think there is a perception in the media that I am on Harry’s side. Well, I’m on my deceased sister’s sons’ side, both of them.”
“And if either of them wanted anything, then I’d be equally there for them. And I never get involved in one camp or the other, except as a benign figure, I hope,” he continued.
Further explaining to the BBC that there are a “lot of reasons on both sides” why William and Harry’s sibling relationship “got to this stage,” Spencer said, “I hope one day it’s resolved.”
“But I don’t know all,” he added. “I certainly don’t know what’s been done in the finer detail and so I would feel intrusive if I got more involved than to say of course a mother would want her two sons to be happy together and love each other.”
Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris at the age of 36 in August 1997. Prince William was 15 years old at the time, while Prince Harry was three years younger.
Sources recently told PEOPLE that the brothers remain estranged, with no direct contact between them.
Harry has expressed a desire to reconcile with his brother, but those close to Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, said the wounds behind the estrangement remain deep. “It was very hard on them, and I wouldn’t blame William for being cautious,” said one close palace source.
While Prince William and Prince Harry remain estranged, there have been steps toward reconciliation between Harry and their father, King Charles. The British monarch, 77, reunited with Harry — as well as his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5 — in July during the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s visit to the U.K. before their move.
King Charles and Prince Harry have also spoken at least once since the Sussexes’ Aug. 26 arrival back in the U.K., but they have not seen each other.
Some of the biggest revelations making headlines from early excerpts of Spencer’s book include his claim that King Charles sounded “giddily elated” on a phone call in the hours after Diana’s death, the heated exchange between Spencer and Prince Charles over Prince William and Prince Harry walking in her funeral and Princess Diana’s claim that her husband was “in love with his valet” before their divorce.
After the Daily Mail published the first preview of the book this week, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, “While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.”
The BBC’s interview preview published on Friday, Sept. 18, focused on Spencer’s reaction to the palace comment.
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg noted that Buckingham Palace denied the account, to which Spencer replied, “But they haven’t actually, Laura. They’ve sort of smudged that one, haven’t they? They’ve said that recollections may vary,” quoting the often-quoted line from Queen Elizabeth’s statement about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in the wake of their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
After Kuenssberg read the palace’s statement, she said the British monarch is “plainly furious” to have issued a statement.
“Well, is he furious? Is he furious or is he embarrassed?” Spencer replied. “Because I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said.”
He continued, “I’ve only ever had two calls on the line with Prince Charles at any stage of my life. I was hyper alert to what he was saying, and those are precisely the words that he said, and I promise that to you now. Genuinely, that is what he said. I don’t hear him saying he didn’t say that.”
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Asked whether he had evidence to back up the claim, Spencer said he told family and friends “straight away,” “because it was so monstrous.”
Spencer said in an Instagram post that Swan Song is the “most personal” book he’s ever written.
“At heart, this is a brother’s simple tribute to an extraordinary sister,” he wrote. “When I finished the recording, I thought: ‘That is exactly what I wanted and needed to say — and she would, I reckon, have approved of every word.’ ”
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister will be available to purchase wherever books are sold on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Read the full article here
