Prince William and the Princess of Wales are expected to stay out of the dispute surrounding Earl Spencer’s book about Diana, as well as Prince Harry’s reported plans for a new documentary about their mother.
The couple will keep their views private, particularly on the explosive memoir serialised by the Daily Mail and its reported impact on King Charles.
William is understood to be “furious” about the book, despite his uncle’s claim during a US television appearance that he has spoken to the future King since its publication.
Instead, the heir to the throne and his wife are concentrating on their official responsibilities and charitable work.
William, Kate and their advisers have no intention of responding publicly to any aspect of Earl Spencer’s account of the late Princess of Wales.
A source close to the couple said that stance would remain unchanged, even as the memoir sparks debate and Earl Spencer continues its international publicity campaign.
William and Harry appeared together in ITV’s 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life And Legacy, released to mark the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death. However, the brothers are not expected to reunite for a similar programme after William decided not to participate in 2027.
Harry is understood to have approached several of Diana’s friends and relatives, including his uncle Charles, to ask whether they would contribute to a commemorative film planned ahead of next summer’s milestone.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, pictured at the world premiere of Tom Cruise’s Digger, are expected to avoid any public involvement in the dispute over Earl Spencer’s book or plans to mark Princess Diana’s death.
Charles Spencer appears on CBS Mornings in New York City on Monday while promoting his new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
Earl Spencer, meanwhile, has continued promoting the memoir through a series of television interviews in the United States.
During his latest appearance, he repeated his claim that Charles told him Diana would soon be forgotten following her death.
“He genuinely said that. I call it ‘those five words’,” Spencer said. “I told people close to me about it at the time. It was so shocking.”
He said the comment arose from a serious disagreement over whether William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, should walk behind their mother’s coffin before a global audience. Spencer said he considered the decision absurd and wrong, while Charles viewed the situation differently.
“We had a difference of opinion. I kept very calm. And we all know he has a temper,” Spencer said, referring to the incident in which Charles appeared to lose his temper with a fountain pen while signing a document after becoming King. “But for me, as a grieving brother, it was very shocking.”
Asked by CNN about his relationship with William and his estranged brother Harry, Spencer said: “I’ve always just been an uncle. They’re men in their 40s now. I’m there if needed. It’s public record that Harry came to stay with me with his family in July. So if I’m needed, I’m there, but I’m not in anyone’s way.”
Kensington Palace has declined to comment on the memoir.
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Buckingham Palace issued an unusually direct statement suggesting that grief may have influenced Earl Spencer’s recollection of events.
Charles is said to be personally “apoplectic” over the claims.
William, who was 15 when Diana died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997, has also been carefully weighing whether to appear in programmes marking the anniversary.
He received several approaches to make or appear in a documentary and even held private talks at Kensington Palace last week with BBC director-general Tim Davie.
However, the heir to the throne is understood to have decided against appearing on screen, partly to avoid any further conflict with his estranged brother.
Harry and William at the unveiling of a statue of Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in 2021
Charles and Diana on their last official trip together to South Korea in November 1992
William does not want himself and Harry to be ‘pitted against each other’, one source claimed in the Sunday Times.
Harry wants to reconcile with his estranged brother – but the 30th anniversary of their late mother will make no difference to his hope, a royal author close to the Sussexes has claimed.
Omid Scobie said the duke had ‘made it no secret that his wish for things moving forward, not just with his father, but with his brother as well, is to reconcile’.
Royal observers have been hoping that next year’s milestone after Diana died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 could help bring the brothers back together again.
But Mr Scobie, once dubbed Harry and Meghan’s ‘cheerleader’, told an ABC News Studios documentary: ‘I can’t see it making any difference, but one can always hope.’
Speaking more widely about Harry and Meghan’s return to the UK last month after six years in America, he added: ‘Regardless of whether you care about Harry and Meghan or the Royal Family, the reality is that the world can’t stop watching.’
Since Harry and Meghan flew back to England, they have been involved in a public spat with Buckingham Palace about their status, and their children have moved schools after issues were raised by their security team about the school run.
Also in the programme, Mr Scobie claimed King Charles now has a ‘warmth’ towards the Sussexes – but insisted the duke’s relationship with William will never improve.
He said: ‘I think we’ve seen with Charles things have moved forward and that iciness has thawed out. There’s a warmth there. With William, I don’t see it will ever change.
‘There’s always this talk of Kate potentially being the peacekeeper, the one that could bring the two brothers together. If I’ve learned anything over the years from covering them, it’s that Kate has very little to do with that relationship between the brothers.’