KEY POINT
- Charles Spencer recalled seeing 12-year-old Harry walk behind Diana’s coffin after her 1997 death.
- Spencer said he wonders whether greater understanding and support during Harry’s childhood grief could have changed the course of later family tensions.
- His comments come ahead of the release of his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, and a CBS Sunday Morning interview.
Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning, Spencer reflected on the effect Diana’s death may have had on her sons, particularly Harry, who was 12 when his mother died in a Paris car crash in 1997.
Spencer recalled walking beside the young prince during Diana’s funeral procession and said he remembered thinking that a child should not have to walk behind his mother’s coffin. William, who was 15 at the time, also took part in the procession.
The memory prompted Spencer to consider whether Harry received enough understanding during a period of profound personal loss. He said he sometimes wonders how much Harry’s later feelings and the difficulties surrounding the royal family are connected to what happened when he was very young.
“I just wonder if a gentler, more understanding treatment then might have helped him,” Spencer said, according to CBS News. He added that a different approach might have resulted in a happier course for the family.
Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from their senior working royal roles in 2020 and subsequently moved to the United States. Their decision changed their relationship with other senior members of the royal family and was followed by years of public discussion about their strained family ties.
Spencer’s remarks do not establish a direct cause between Harry’s childhood grief and those later disputes. Instead, they reflect his personal view of how the experience may have affected his nephew.
Spencer also said he no longer follows the inner workings of the monarchy closely. He described his relationship with King Charles as having ended after the death of the relationship between Charles and Diana, while emphasizing that he continues to respect the Crown.
His comments form part of a wider discussion surrounding his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. CBS News reported that the book presents Spencer’s account of Diana’s life and the events surrounding her death and funeral.
Spencer’s latest comments focus less on the disputed details surrounding Diana’s funeral and more on the long-term emotional effect of her death on her children. His remarks offer his perspective on Harry’s childhood and the family tensions that developed decades later.
Spencer’s memoir is scheduled for publication on Sept. 22, while his full conversation with CBS Sunday Morning is part of the program’s Sept. 20 broadcast.
