Earl Spencer told the BBC that the media’s treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has "echoes" of what his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, endured. Speaking from his Althorp estate, he described the press coverage of the Sussexes as a "cancerous influence in their life" and urged the public to learn from Diana’s example.
Spencer said he saw Diana’s "tears of despair" when describing the impact of media coverage on her, adding she was "very, very sensitive to criticism". He added that the Princess was "really brought low by all that criticism" and that it was a “pity” to see similar treatment of his nephew and nephew’s wife.
"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," Spencer said.
He also said he was "telling the truth" when he claimed King Charles said people would forget Diana "soon enough" in a phone call after her death. The Palace responded with a strongly worded statement, saying the King was “mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise.” Spencer reacted by saying the King was “facing a gaslit” situation and that he had only ever had two calls on the line with the monarch.
The Sussexes have long been critical of the British press and of the Royal Family’s support before they stepped back from duties. In 2021, Prince Harry accused tabloid media of creating a “toxic environment” of control and fear, while Meghan said in a 2022 Netflix series that the media would always find a way to destroy her no matter what she did.
Legal battles have followed, with the Duke and six others losing a privacy case against the Daily Mail and potentially facing a £34.5m bill. Earlier, the Duke beat the Mirror Group in court and settled with the News Group out of court.
Spencer’s book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is due next week and is expected to be highly critical of the Royal Family. His comments come just weeks after the Sussexes returned to the UK from California, where they had lived for six years after stepping back from royal duties.
What’s next? The royal family’s stance on media relations remains a point of contention, and the public will likely watch how the Palace responds to Spencer’s allegations and the Sussexes’ ongoing legal challenges.
