The King and his former brother-in-law Charles, Earl Spencer, have both insisted that they’ve only ever had the best interests of Princes William and Harry at heart.
Yet the brothers are the ones most hurt by the clash between the two older men over bombshell allegations in a new book about their mother Princess Diana.
William and Harry are being forced to relive their mother’s shocking death – one of their most traumatic shared experiences – following the publication of their uncle Charles’ controversial book Swan Song: Diana, my Sister.
Having the two Charleses face off over their differing memories of that terrible time is deeply upsetting for them, says royal author Katie Nicholl, especially with the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death.
“To have it overshadowed with arguments, fallouts and rifts that are now resurfacing three decades on can surely not be what they want.”
The most incendiary allegations in early excerpts from the book include their uncle Charles Spencer describing the then-Prince Charles as “giddily elated – like a lottery winner” during their first phone call after Diana’s death.
A Palace rebuttal
He went on to suggest that may have been because the King, 77, was thinking “more of how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved, rather than appreciating the loss of the one he did not”.
During a later call about funeral arrangements, the King allegedly “unleashed a stream of anger” after Earl Spencer said William and Harry should not be made to walk behind Diana’s coffin at her funeral.
He claims the King, who seemed to be horrified at the worldwide response to Diana’s death, hissed at him, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
Buckingham Palace took the unprecedented step of issuing a pointed rebuttal less than two hours after the excerpts first appeared in a British newspaper: “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 judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.”
Protecting Harry
Charles Spencer, 62, reacted by then accusing the King of gaslighting him. The war of words between their father and uncle has put William, 44, and Harry, 42, in a difficult position.
Harry gets a lot of attention in the book, with his uncle detailing how upset he was that his youngest nephew, then 12, had to join his older brother, then 15, to follow Diana’s coffin past hundreds of thousands of people lining London’s streets. He recounts how he took the opportunity to reassure the youngster when they were temporarily out of public view.
Harry has since said that “no child should be asked to do that under any circumstance”. But added that “looking back on it”, he was glad to have been part of the day.
Charles Spencer has also criticised the lack of care shown to Harry after Diana’s death.
“He needed Diana’s hugs and they would forever be denied him. But instead of calm and nurture, he was allowed to spin out of control.”
A royal dilemma
The comments make things awkward for Harry, who has remained close to his uncle – even taking his family to stay with him at the Spencer family home, Althorp, a couple of months ago – because if he’s seen to support Charles, it could jeopardise his attempts to reconcile with his father.
As for William, the situation could be even trickier as he’s the heir to the throne, points out royal journalist Emily Nash.
“Whatever his feelings behind the scenes, he must keep the show on the road. This is his and his family’s future.”
A personal betrayal
Other palace experts have reported that William is furious because he sees it as a personal betrayal and he’s sick of people making money from his mother’s memory.
“He has spent decades imploring those who continue to profit from Diana to let her rest in peace,” says writer Rebecca English.
“Now he must add his own uncle to that list.”
Royal commentator Jennie Bond says the “spiteful and unnecessary” book only serves to further traumatise the brothers.
“Do William and Harry really have to witness another blistering family row? Do they want to be made to relive the agony of their mother’s death? What good can that do?”
She points out that in a statement released by the brothers on the first anniversary of their mum’s death, they said reminders of the tragedy brought “nothing but pain” and that their mother would want people to move on.
Says Jennie, “Earl Spencer has done precisely the opposite.”
