Earl Spencer Says He Won’t Intervene in Prince William and Prince Harry’s Rift

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Charles Spencer is making it clear that he will not take sides in the ongoing dispute between Prince William and Prince Harry. With Harry back in the U.K., the rift between the royal brothers has entered another phase, but Princess Diana’s younger brother says he has no interest in becoming a family mediator. “I’m just an uncle … I would never presume to be involved with that,” the Earl Spencer said during a September 23, 2026, appearance on ITV’s “Lorraine”. He also pushed back against the idea that he supports Harry over William, explaining that his loyalty belongs equally to both of Diana’s sons. “I’m on my deceased sister’s sons’ side, both of them,” he said in an earlier interview with the BBC.

Speculation about Spencer’s sympathies appears to come from his visible connection with Harry in recent years, despite the Duke of Sussex living in the United States since 2020. Harry has visited Althorp, the Spencer family estate, on multiple occasions, including in August 2024 while returning to Britain for a family memorial service. The Sussexes also stayed at the property during their July 2026 U.K. trip, when Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet reunited with their grandfather, King Charles III.

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Spencer insists, however, that he would be there for either nephew if needed. “If either of them wanted anything, then I’d be equally there for them,” he told the BBC. He maintains that this has always been his approach, adding that he avoids aligning himself with either side of the family conflict and instead tries to remain “a benign figure.” Even so, reports suggest that one of the brothers may not view the relationship in quite the same way.

Any doubts about the strength of Spencer’s relationship with Prince William were intensified by the release of his memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, my sister,” in September 2026. On the “Daily Expresso” podcast, presenter Mark Dolan claimed that royal sources say William is “absolutely furious” about the book. According to those reports, the future king’s anger centers on Spencer’s portrayal of King Charles III. “He doesn’t have a good relationship with his uncle Charles, and he’s firmly on his father’s side. He’s disgusted by what’s in this book,” Dolan said.

Among the memoir’s most contentious passages is Spencer’s account of Charles’ alleged response following Diana’s death. Citing People, Spencer recalled Charles saying, “‘Rest assured,’ he hissed, ‘we’ll forget her soon enough!’” Reports claim William was disturbed that the memoir would revisit the episode while his father is dealing with health concerns. “He’s been told to keep his life as stress-free as possible to help in his cancer fight,” an unnamed source told Closer Weekly, adding that the situation was “affecting him terribly.” William has not publicly addressed the book, while both royal brothers have avoided directly answering questions about its contents.

Spencer says he gave William and Harry advance notice about the memoir and informed them at the same time. “I told them exactly the same time. And I can say that Harry is completely fine about it,” he told People. Dolan suggested that Harry’s continued silence could be interpreted differently from William’s, noting that Harry has historically been more willing to speak publicly while William typically follows the royal family’s “Never complain, never explain” tradition. “You can only interpret, therefore, that he supports the content of the book,” Dolan said.