Earl Spencer compares media treatment of Harry and Meghan to Diana’s, ahead of 30th anniversary
Consensus Summary
Looking ahead, the publication of Spencer’s book and Harry and Meghan’s return pose challenges for King Charles, who is still undergoing cancer treatment. Legal reviews into their security status remain unresolved, and Spencer’s revelations—while not entirely surprising to Harry and William—could further strain royal-family relations. The 30th anniversary of Diana’s death looms as a pivotal moment, with Spencer’s work likely to dominate discussions about media ethics and the monarchy’s treatment of its members. As the Guardian notes, Diana ‘would be cheering from the rafters’ at the book’s impact, suggesting her legacy continues to shape contemporary debates about privacy, power, and public perception in the royal household.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Princess Diana died aged 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash while being pursued by photographers
- Harry and Meghan returned to the UK after six years living in the US
- Earl Spencer’s book *Swan Song: Diana, My Sister* is highly critical of King Charles, accusing him of saying ‘we’ll forget her soon enough’ after Diana’s death
- Harry and Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 and moved abroad
- Earl Spencer said Diana and he both had ADHD, though she was never diagnosed
- Spencer’s book was written ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death
- Buckingham Palace responded to Spencer’s claims by stating the King is ‘mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss’
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Spencer cited Harry’s position as fifth-in-line to the British throne and as a former soldier in advocating for official security for Harry and Meghan.
- Spencer accused the then-Prince of Wales (now King Charles) of sounding ‘giddily elated’ in the hours after Diana’s death.
- Spencer said he had included a specific line in his eulogy at Diana’s funeral to counter Charles’ alleged comments, ending with ‘she would never be extinguished from our minds’.
- Spencer’s interview with the BBC was aired on Sunday evening, with an extract released on Friday.
- The Sussexes returned to the UK on 26 August, and Harry told Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that the tabloid press had created a ‘toxic environment’.
- Spencer described the king’s comments about Diana as ‘monstrous’ and said he told friends and family immediately after hearing them.
- Spencer compared the palace’s response to the ‘recollections may vary’ quote, calling it a ‘poor imitation’.
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The Guardian states Harry and Meghan returned to the UK on 26 August, while 7NEWS and ABC do not specify a return date beyond ‘recently’ or ‘after six years’.
- The Guardian mentions Spencer’s interview was aired on Sunday evening and an extract released on Friday, but 7NEWS and ABC do not reference these specific days.
Source Articles
Diana’s brother compares tabloid’s treatment of Harry and Meghan to his late sister
Charles Spencer says the tabloid treatment of both Diana, and Harry and Meghan, could be ‘really, really unpleasant’.
Earl Spencer says media treatment of Harry and Meghan ‘echoes’ Diana’s experience
Comments come after he accused King Charles of gaslighting him in response to claims made in new memoir Earl Spencer has said the relationship between the press and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “echoes” the way the media treated his sister Diana, Princess of Wales. In an interview with the BBC to be aired on Sunday evening, Spencer described the press’s coverage of Harry and Meghan as having a “cancerous influence”, adding it would be “beholden on people to learn from Diana’s example”. Continu
Harry and Meghan's treatment echoes Diana's, her brother says
Charles Spencer says Prince Harry and his wife should be given official security because the media is treating them the same way it treated Princess Diana in the lead-up to her death.
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