A Legacy Contested on Multiple Fronts
As the 30th anniversary of Diana, Princess of Wales’s death approaches, competing efforts to define her legacy have placed the Royal Family at the centre of a fresh and pointed dispute. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is in active discussions about producing a documentary on his mother, while his maternal uncle, Earl Spencer, has published a memoir that has already drawn a sharp rebuttal from Buckingham Palace.
A source close to Harry confirmed to The Mirror that “the Duke has discussed a number of possible projects to mark the 30th anniversary of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales’s passing, and is still considering the most meaningful way to honour her legacy.” Any documentary would almost certainly be produced through Archewell Productions, the company Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, operate under a first-look deal with Netflix.
Harry’s Outreach and a Brother’s Refusal
Harry has already approached several of Diana’s friends and relatives about participating in a potential programme. Among those contacted was Earl Spencer — who declined. The Earl, 62, explained his reasoning in his newly published memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, released this week, stating that he had no wish to appear as a “talking head” in productions he feared could be driven by a “flawed” agenda set by producers he would never meet.
The Earl’s position reflects a broader wariness toward the documentary format. He revealed that he had turned down “endless, repeated” requests to appear in films about his sister, including approaches from Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton and former Blair government adviser Alastair Campbell. His preference, he said, was to “tell things how I remember them” — on his own terms, in his own voice.
The Memoir and Its Explosive Claims
The memoir’s publication has immediately generated controversy far beyond questions of format. Earl Spencer alleges that, in the immediate aftermath of Diana’s death in August 1997, then-Prince Charles told him: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.” The Earl further claims that Charles spoke in what he described as a “giddy tone,” which he compared to that of a “lottery winner.”
Buckingham Palace issued a rare public statement swiftly rejecting the account. “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,” a Palace spokesman said — a formulation that stopped short of a direct denial while casting doubt on the Earl’s recollection.
Earl Spencer responded by accusing the King of “gaslighting” him and describing the Palace’s statement as “astonishingly provocative.” Royal sources, in turn, accused the Earl of exploiting what remained of Diana’s privacy. The exchange represents one of the more direct public confrontations between the Spencer family and the institution in recent years.
Spencer’s Account of His Own Motivations
The Earl said he decided to write the memoir approximately a year ago, after a series of approaches to participate in other Diana-related projects prompted him to consider what he actually wanted to put on record. As a historian, he framed the decision in terms of evidential responsibility. “Writing around Diana’s life has been heavily mythologised, and much of what’s been written about her has been notable for its inaccuracy,” he said.
He was explicit about the urgency he felt. “The 30th anniversary of her death is approaching; I am in my sixties now and I feel the passage of time more sharply than I once did. I don’t want to reach the end of my own life having left my sister’s story to be told by people who never knew her.” He added that he did not consult any members of his family — including his sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes — about the book’s content, stating he did not wish to implicate them in his authorial decisions or be constrained by them.
Neither Prince William nor Prince Harry received advance details of the memoir. The Earl is expected to donate a portion of the proceeds to charity.
A Family Fractured, a Collaboration Unlikely
Nine years ago, William and Harry collaborated on two documentaries marking the 20th anniversary of their mother’s death. A joint project for the 30th anniversary now appears remote. The deterioration in the brothers’ relationship — extensively documented through Harry’s own public disclosures, including his memoir Spare — makes coordinated commemoration politically and personally improbable. Kensington Palace has not commented on how the Prince of Wales intends to mark the anniversary.
Harry’s documentary plans are likely to deepen existing tensions within the Royal Family, adding another contested narrative to a period already shaped by years of high-profile disputes between the Sussexes and other members of the institution. The project would enter a crowded field: multiple productions about Diana are understood to be in development ahead of August 2027.
Harry in London: A Separate Appearance
Harry made his third public appearance since returning to the United Kingdom on Monday evening, attending the annual WellChild Awards at the Lancaster Hotel in central London. He declined to answer questions about his family as he was escorted inside. During his address, he praised the children and families recognised at the ceremony, which honours those living with complex medical needs. “Most of us will never truly know the emotional ups and downs of your day,” he told the assembled parents, “but I sincerely hope that you take strength from nights like this.”