Inside Charles Spencer's bitter feud with the royals over Princess Diana - as he attends Prince Harry's Invictus Games event while King Charles and Prince William are 'too busy'

12/05/2024

The Earl and his sister Lady Jane Fellowes were present at St Paul's CathedralREAD MORE: Revealed: What Prince Harry said to a fan on her honeymoon during surprise walkabout after Invictus Games event

Although neither King Charles nor Prince William attended Prince Harry's Invictus event in St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday due to other commitments, the Duke wasn't short of supportive family members in the crowd.

There to support him were his aunt, Lady Jane Fellowes, and uncle Earl Spencer - the sister and brother of Harry's late mother Princess Diana.

Harry has remained close to his mother's side of the family despite his move to the US in 2020, and the Spencers have supported the Duke on many occasions while his rift with the Windsors continued to deepen.

But to seasoned royal watchers, it is perhaps no surprise that Harry's frosty relationship with his father's side of the family has drawn him closer to the Spencers - as they don't enjoy a particularly warm friendship with the royals either.

It is a feud dating back decades to Princess Diana's time in the royal family, and it has continued to rear its head several times since her death.

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Earl Spencer and his sister Lady Jane Fellowes attended Prince Harry's Invictus Games event at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday in a show of support for their nephew

The closeness between Prince Harry and his uncle Charles was obvious as they warmly embraced inside the Cathedral while the Duke beamed

Perhaps the first time the Spencers' hostility towards the royals became apparent was at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997 in his eviscerating speech which paid tribute to her, but made his feelings towards the royal family and the press very much known.

After taking swipes at the British media for how his late sister was treated, Earl Spencer then made digs at the royal family as he vowed to protect William and Harry, just 15 and 12 years old at the time.

Speaking to Diana, he said: 'Beyond that, on behalf of your mother and sisters, I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition but can sing openly as you planned.

The Spencer family has remained close to, and supportive of, Prince Harry, in the years since Diana's death. Charles Spencer and Lady Sarah McCorquodale with their nephew at a Service to remember Princess Diana in 2007

Earl Spencer made an eviscerating speech at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997 vowing to protect his nephews despite their 'duty' and referring to himself as her 'blood family'

Pictured: Earl Spencer, Princess Diana, King Charles, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale at Earl Spencer's 21st birthday party

'We fully respect the heritage into which they have both been born and will always respect and encourage them in their royal role but we, like you, recognise the need for them to experience as many different aspects of life as possible to arm them spiritually and emotionally for the years ahead.

'I know you would have expected nothing less from us.'

As he made mention of 'duty and tradition' and stressed that he, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale were Diana's 'blood family', Earl Spencer made it clear that he and his siblings were close to the late Princess, in comparison to the family into which she married.

It was an inflammatory speech perhaps further fuelled by the fact Princess Diana had named Earl Spencer the guardian of William and Harry in her will.

An ITV documentary, Diana: The Day Britain Cried, which aired in 2017, revealed Earl Spencer's eviscerating speech was, unsurprisingly, received poorly by the Royal Family , who did not even applaud at the end.

Martin Neary, Westminster Abbey's musical director, told the documentary: 'I felt a great sympathy for what she had suffered but at the same time I was shocked by some of things which were said.

'The princes actually applauded at the end, although the senior members of the Royal Family did not.'

Earl Spencer has previously claimed he was 'lied to' about William and Harry wanting to walk behind Princess Diana's coffin at her funeral procession - which he says they did not

Sir Malcom Ross, one of the Queen's right-hand men who was responsible for the funeral arrangement, added: 'It grated to me on the day because I thought he was actually having a little bit of a go at the Royal Family.

'It was my mistake to leave the doors of the Abbey open. What that meant was that when Lord Spencer made his remarks the audience outside applauded, which, in fact, started the audience inside applauding.'

He added, rather unconvincingly: 'Fine. I don't think anybody took offence.'

Earl Spencer has continued to speak out against the royal family in the years following her death and has claimed he was lied to about his sister's funeral procession.

In 2017, he claimed he had been told by royal officials that his nephews wanted to walk behind Diana's coffin in the funeral procession, after he had raised concerns about it.

Describing the moment as the 'most horrifying half hour of my life', he revealed he still has nightmares about the 'harrowing' experience.

However he acknowledged that the walk would have been 'a million times worse' for William and Harry.

Speaking on Radio 4's Today Programme, he slammed the decision for the boys to follow the coffin as a 'very bizarre and cruel thing'.

Earl Spencer and his sisters attended the unveiling of a memorial fountain for Princess Diana in Hyde Park

Speaking to the BBC earlier this year, the Earl said he believed the treatment Princess Diana suffered was worse than that of Catherine, Princess of Wales

He added: 'Eventually I was lied to and told they wanted to do it, which of course they didn't but I didn't realise that.'

Addressing his funeral speech, he added: 'I don't feel I said many pointed things. I believe that every word I said was true and it was important for me to be honest.

'I wasn't looking to make any jabs at anyone actually. I was trying to celebrate Diana – and if by doing that it showed up particularly the press, I think, in a bad way, well, they had that coming.'

Speaking to the Guardian in 2002, Earl Spencer took further swipes at the royal family over the frequency in which he saw his nephews.

He did not reveal how often he saw William and Harry but said: 'What I can say is that they may not be encouraged to stay in touch with their mother's side of the family.'

At the time, a spokesperson for St James's Palace declined to comment on what was a 'private family matter'.

In line with the royal family's 'never complain, never explain' motto, the feud has been somewhat more muted - however, there have been signs of hostility towards the Spencers on the royal side as well.

For example, neither Earl Spencer, nor his sisters, were invited to King Charles's Coronation last May, in a snub for the uncle of the King's sons.

At the time, a friend of the Earl told the Independent: 'What's galling is that Earl Spencer may well have turned down the invitation for obvious historic reasons, but this brutal exclusion left no option for any elegant diplomacy.'

Over the last few months, Earl Spencer has undertaken several interviews in light of the release of his memoir, A Very Private School, in which he detailed horrific experiences of abuse he suffered while attending boarding school in Northamptonshire.

At the time of the interviews, conspiracy theories were raging online about the Princess of Wales, who had been taking time out from royal duties as a result of an abdominal operation.

It was later revealed that the Princess had been undergoing chemotherapy due to the presence of cancer cells which were discovered after her surgery, however this was not publicly known at the time, leading to wild theories circulating online about her wellbeing.

Speaking to the BBC, Earl Spencer addressed the conspiracy theories surrounding Kate's health, while the Palace kept quiet about her condition.

He told Laura Kuenssberg the situation had been worse for his late sister, saying: 'I think it was more dangerous back in the day.'

As Earl Spencer, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale have continued to support Prince Harry since his move to the US, they have filled a void left by the rift that has continued to deepen between the Duke and the royals.

Yesterday, as Harry proudly attended his Invictus Games event at St Paul's Cathedral, he was pictured warmly embracing his uncle with a beaming smile on his face.

The presence of the Spencers at the event follows support they have offered to him many times since he moved to the US - with his aunts among the few of Harry's family members to have attended Princess Lilibet's christening.

While there are glimmers of hope that Harry's frosty relationship with his father's side of the family is beginning to thaw, he has the firm support of his mother's side of the family until that day comes.