Earl Spencer has drawn a comparison between the media attention surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan and the intense scrutiny his sister, Princess Diana, faced before her death.
In an interview with the BBC, Spencer said the experience reminded him of the pressure Diana faced from sections of the British press.
He said the constant criticism had a damaging effect on his sister and urged people to consider the lessons from her experience.
‘Echoes’ of Diana’s Experience
Spencer said newspaper coverage of Diana could be extremely harsh.
He recalled seeing how deeply she was affected by criticism and said he now saw similarities in the way Harry and Meghan are covered by some media outlets.
He described such coverage as a harmful influence on people who face it every day.
Spencer also said Diana was particularly sensitive to criticism and that the pressure contributed to periods when she was deeply distressed.
Harry and Meghan’s Long-Running Media Disputes
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spent years criticising sections of the British press.
Harry has also taken legal action against several newspaper groups over privacy and unlawful information-gathering claims.
In one major case, he won damages against Mirror Group Newspapers.
Other disputes have ended through settlements, including a case involving News Group Newspapers.
In July, Harry and several other claimants lost a privacy case involving Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail. The legal consequences of that case remain separate from the earlier cases he won or settled.
Spencer Says He Is Supporting Both Brothers
Despite being linked publicly with Harry because of his comments, Spencer said he did not see himself as taking sides between Diana’s two sons.
He said his loyalty was to both Prince William and Prince Harry.
Spencer explained that he would support either of them if they needed his help.
His comments come at a time when relations within the wider Royal Family continue to attract significant media attention.
Dispute Over Diana’s Final Days
The BBC interview also followed Spencer’s claims about a conversation he says he had with the then-Prince Charles shortly after Diana’s death.
Spencer has insisted that Charles told him people would forget Diana “soon enough”.
Buckingham Palace has challenged Spencer’s recollection.
The Palace said grief can affect memory, judgement and the way people remember painful events.
Spencer rejected the response and said he remained certain about what he remembered Charles saying.
His new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is due to be published soon and is expected to revisit his relationship with Diana and his memories of the Royal Family.
Diana died in Paris on 31 August 1997 after a car crash.
BBC
