Charles Spencer shut down a question about Prince Harry’s royal rift during a magazine interview promoting his new memoir.
The 9th Earl Spencer, 62, was sitting for a People cover story published Monday when the topic turned to Harry’s 2023 tell-all “Spare” and the Duke of Sussex’s ongoing estrangement from Prince William. Rather than engage, Spencer pivoted away from the subject entirely. “Is it all right if we don’t do too much Harry stuff?” he asked the reporter. Once the interviewer agreed, Spencer expressed his gratitude.
Spencer’s memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” publishes Tuesday and has already stirred controversy over its unflattering portrait of King Charles. Excerpts have featured Spencer’s claim that Charles appeared “elated” in the aftermath of Diana’s fatal August 1997 car crash. The 9th Earl acknowledged it “was a concern” that Harry, 42, and William, 44, would be troubled by his stories about their father. “I don’t want this to sound loaded, but there was an awful lot I could have put in and I didn’t,” he said. “If I wanted to write a scandalous book about Prince Charles or King Charles as he is now, it would really be a jaw-dropper, but I’m not here to do that.”
The brothers learned of the memoir’s contents together, Spencer recalled. “I told [him and William] at the same time, and all I would say is one was… I can say that Harry is completely fine about it.” He declined to elaborate on William’s specific reaction, adding, “I think they were actually worried where I was going up to with the book. … I think it’s natural that people so in the public eye are concerned how they will come across in the book.” He “reassure[d] both of” them that he did not “compromis[e] their privacy at all,” describing their portrayal simply “as examples of two little boys who had the most exceptional mother.”
Harry’s own response to news of the memoir was characteristically self-deprecating, Spencer noted. The Duke of Sussex joked that he hoped there was “nothing embarrassing about him” in its pages. The timing of the brothers’ joint briefing remains unclear, though Harry last visited Spencer at Althorp, the Spencer family estate, in July. Since then, Harry has relocated to England with wife Meghan Markle and their two children.
Buckingham Palace issued a scathing statement last week after excerpts surfaced. “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,” a spokesperson wrote. William has not publicly addressed the book. Reports said that the allegations did not “come as a shock” to Harry, who had been informed in advance.
The publication arrives at a fraught moment for the House of Windsor. Harry and William remain on non-speaking terms following “Spare,” in which Harry detailed explosive claims about his older brother’s temper and alleged physical altercation between them. While Harry has since reunited with King Charles on multiple occasions since the memoir’s release, the sibling rift has shown no signs of healing.
Spencer’s careful navigation of royal sensitivities reflects his complicated position as both Diana’s brother and uncle to the warring princes. His refusal to discuss Harry’s estrangement during Monday’s interview underscored his apparent determination to keep the focus on his sister’s legacy rather than the family’s ongoing fractures.
“Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” hits shelves Tuesday.
