Princess Diana's Brother Claims 'Lack of Obvious Care' Caused Harry To 'Spin Out of Control'

Princess Diana's brother Charles Spencer claims Prince Harry was 'allowed to spin out of control' after her funeral on 6 September 1997. In reported excerpts from his memoir, Spencer describes a 'lack of obvious care' for the 12-year-old on the journey from London to Althorp.

Earlier that day, Harry and his brother Prince William, then 15, had walked behind their mother's coffin towards Westminster Abbey. Their father, then-Prince Charles, their grandfather Prince Philip and Spencer accompanied them in the funeral procession.

Princess Diana's Brother Recalls the Train Journey

Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, revisits the hours following the service in his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. Althorp is the Spencer family estate where Diana was buried.

Spencer recalled the journey as a moment when Harry needed calm and reassurance after the demands of the morning. His criticism focused on how the boy was supported while dealing with a loss that meant he could no longer turn to his mother.

'My chief memory of that train journey is of being concerned at the lack of obvious care for Harry, as he decompressed from the ghastliness of the morning.'

He continued, 'He needed Diana's hugs, of course, and they would forever be denied him. But instead of calm and nurture, he was allowed to spin out of control.'

Spencer suggested that 'a more caring hand' could have served Harry better as he struggled with losing his mother so young.

Walking Behind Princess Diana's Coffin

Spencer also described watching Harry during the procession, recalling his concern about the demands placed on the boy before the journey to Althorp. William was 15, while Harry was still 12.

'I could not get over how tiny, and slight, and bereft, Harry looked,' Spencer recalled.

'Too small to be doing this, I thought, and wondered how on earth this heartbroken child could bear the ordeal of that moment, or how he could possibly be expected to deal with the agony that the day ahead would insist upon.'

These recollections describe how Harry appeared to his uncle, who was walking with him. They offer Spencer's view of the day, without an account from Harry of what he experienced during the procession or afterwards.

Palace Challenges Memories After Princess Diana's Death

Other allegations in the memoir prompted Buckingham Palace to respond. Spencer claimed that Charles told him Diana would be forgotten 'soon enough' in the days following her death.

The Palace's response questioned the reliability of memories affected by bereavement. Its statement concerned claims about King Charles III, rather than specifically addressing Spencer's description of Harry on the train.

The reference to 'fraternal grief' addressed Spencer's loss of his sister and the effect the Palace suggested it could have on his recollections.

'While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss,' Buckingham Palace stated.

The Palace issued that statement on 16 September, days before Spencer's account of Harry's care emerged, according to the report.