Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s reported growing closeness with Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, and his family is said to be causing unease within the royal household, with King Charles and Prince William allegedly left “uncomfortable” following a string of bombshell revelations.
The claims come amid widespread attention on Earl Spencer’s new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, in which he recounts his reaction—and King Charles’s—to Princess Diana’s death. According to Spencer, Charles told him they’d “forget her soon enough,” and the earl further alleged that Charles sounded as though he had won the lottery upon learning of Diana’s death.
Spencer’s book contains several other striking claims. He revealed that both William and Harry learned about the memoir at the same time, though he said Harry was reportedly untroubled by its publication.
Following the revelations, Buckingham Palace issued a carefully worded statement: “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 judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.”
Despite the palace’s composed public response, sources suggest King Charles and William are privately bracing for further fallout, particularly given Harry’s deepening relationship with the Spencer family.
An insider told Woman’s Day, “His Majesty loathes Charles Spencer; they have never gotten along, so the fact that Harry is so close to him does give the King good reason to worry.”
According to the report, Earl Spencer and Diana’s sisters hold a significant place in Harry’s life. “They’ve always tried to protect him, that’s why he’s got such a close bond with all of them… He says they have made him and his wife and children feel like they do have family in England in those moments when things have been at the lowest between Harry and his father and brother,” the source said.
Adding to the palace’s reported concerns, the same report claims the Sussexes may formally partner with the Spencer family, potentially collaborating on “some charity work and perhaps even some sort of collab for Meghan’s brand.”
The prospect of Harry aligning himself with a family regarded by some royal insiders as at odds with the monarchy is reportedly not sitting well with either the King or William, further straining an already fractured relationship between the brothers and their father.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor representatives for the Sussexes have publicly commented on the alleged collaboration plans.