Prince Harry had one immediate concern when his uncle Earl Spencer told him about his new book on Princess Diana that whether it contained anything embarrassing about him.
Speaking to People, Diana’s brother revealed that Harry was “completely fine” with the forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, after receiving reassurance that the book would not compromise his privacy.
Spencer said he informed Harry, Prince William and Diana’s sisters, Sarah McCorquodale and Jane Fellowes, about the book at the same time.
“I told them at the same time,” Spencer explained, adding that Harry had asked whether there was anything embarrassing about him in the book.
“I hope there’s nothing embarrassing about him in it,” Harry reportedly told his uncle, who replied: “There isn’t.”
Spencer suggested that the family members may initially have been uncertain about how much he intended to reveal, given the public interest surrounding Diana and her relationships with senior royals.
He explained that the book largely concludes with Diana’s death in 1997, followed by a brief postscript about her grave.
“I think it’s natural that people in the public eye are concerned about how they will come across in the book,” Spencer said, reflecting on the possible concerns of his nephews and other relatives.
The Earl also sought to reassure William and Harry that their privacy had been respected in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
“They’re just two little boys who had the most exceptional mother,” he said, adding that he was “not in any way compromising their privacy at all.”
The comments offer a glimpse into Harry’s reported response to a book revisiting his mother’s life, at a time when Diana’s legacy continues to generate intense public interest.
However, Spencer’s reassurance about Harry’s portrayal does not necessarily mean the Duke agrees with every claim or recollection contained in the memoir. He has not publicly endorsed the book’s contents in the comments provided.
The interview also addressed potential concerns about how King Charles might be portrayed. Spencer acknowledged that the way the monarch appeared in the book was a concern for William and Harry.
“There was an awful lot I could have put in, and I didn’t,” Spencer said, suggesting that he had chosen not to include certain information about the King.
He added that he knew details about Charles that could provoke a strong reaction, but insisted he did not intend to reveal them.
The remarks are likely to intensify curiosity about what Spencer chose to include in his account of Diana’s life and what he decided to leave out. They do not, however, establish that he possesses undisclosed information that would substantiate any particular allegation.
For Harry, the most revealing detail from Spencer’s account is his reported concern about how he might be portrayed in the memoir. According to his uncle, that worry was quickly addressed with a reassuring answer.
Whether the book changes the wider conversation about Diana, Charles and the royal family remains a separate question. For now, Spencer’s account suggests Harry was reassured that his own privacy would be respected.
