The media coverage surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex mirrors the intense press pressure that targeted Diana, Princess of Wales, her brother Earl Spencer has told the BBC.
Describing the media treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan as a “cancerous influence in their life”, Earl Spencer urged the public and press to learn from his late sister’s experience.
Speaking to Laura Kuenssberg at his Althorp estate, Earl Spencer reflected on whether Diana would recognise the relentless scrutiny currently directed at his nephew and his wife.
He recalled that Diana, who wed the former Prince Charles in 1981, was “really brought low by all that criticism” before her death in a Paris car crash on 31 August 1997, calling it a “pity” to observe similar patterns today.
Responding to claims that he favours Prince Harry, Earl Spencer asserted that he stands by both of his deceased sister’s sons and remains available to support either of them.
The Sussexes, who returned to the United Kingdom from California six years after stepping back from royal duties, have repeatedly condemned media practices.
During a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry alleged that tabloid news outlets had created a “toxic environment” driven by “control and fear”.
Meghan echoed these concerns in their 2022 Netflix documentary series, stating that “no matter how hard I tried, no matter how good I was, no matter what I did, they [the media] were still going to find a way to destroy me”.
The couple’s struggle with the press has also extended to the courtroom. In July this year, Prince Harry alongside six other claimants, including Sir Elton John and Liz Hurley, lost a privacy lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail, leaving them facing potential legal costs of up to £34.5 million.
However, the Duke of Sussex previously won a court case against Mirror Group and reached an out-of-court settlement with News Group, securing financial compensation, damages, and an official apology.
The BBC interview represents Earl Spencer’s first public response following a firm statement from Buckingham Palace regarding his forthcoming book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is set for release next week and is anticipated to be highly critical of the Royal Family.
The controversy deepened after extracts revealed Earl Spencer’s allegation that King Charles remarked people would forget Diana “soon enough” during a telephone conversation shortly after her death. Additional excerpts published on Thursday claimed the King sounded “giddily elated” like a “lottery winner” during the call, with Earl Spencer also alleging that Charles “went ballistic”.
In response, Buckingham Palace stated that the King was “mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss”.
Dismissing the Palace’s stance, Earl Spencer questioned whether the King was “furious” or “embarrassed”, arguing that officials had “sort of smudged that one” by suggesting recollections may vary.
Earl Spencer maintained that he was “telling the truth”, emphasising that he had only spoken on the phone with Prince Charles twice in his life, was “hyper alert” to the conversation, and had recounted the “monstrous” remarks to family and friends at the time.
