William has spent his adult life trying to draw a boundary around his mother’s memory, resisting the endless excavation and commercialization of her life and death.
Insiders say William feels a deep sense of betrayal because the attacks are coming from his own uncle, the man who promised to protect him. Meanwhile, Harry is allegedly 'wooing' Spencer for a documentary.
Charles Spencer’s book 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister' was released last week. Spencer, 62, claims he argued with King Charles in a 'stream of anger' about the 1997 funeral procession, but lost.
William is furious that his uncle is dragging up 1997 trauma to sell books, while Harry seems to be playing both sides to secure a Hollywood deal.
Prince William is reportedly seething after his uncle, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, dropped a bombshell new book that reopens some of the most traumatic chapters of the royal family’s history. The Duke of Cambridge, 44, is said to feel a profound sense of betrayal because the allegations aren’t coming from a tabloid hack or a distant critic, but from his mother’s own brother. Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield exclusively told Page Six that for William, this is personal: "With Prince William, there is an additional sense of betrayal because this is coming from his own uncle." The core of the feud lies in Spencer’s new memoir, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister," which claims Spencer fiercely opposed King Charles III’s decision to have William and Prince Harry walk behind their mother’s casket during the 1997 funeral procession.
Spencer, 62, details a heated confrontation with the King, describing a "stream of anger" that ultimately failed to change the outcome. He alleges that he fought to keep the young princes out of the public eye during the procession from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey, but his objections were overruled. Schofield notes that Spencer publicly promised at the funeral that Diana’s blood family would protect William and Harry, making this new retelling feel like a broken vow.
"Nearly three decades later, William is watching that same uncle reopen some of the most traumatic events of his childhood while making very damaging allegations about his father," Schofield said. The timing is particularly egregious for William, who has spent his adult life trying to "draw a boundary" around his mother’s memory and resist the "endless excavation and commercialization" of her tragedy. The fallout isn't just emotional; it’s political.
Schofield points out that the damage is hitting the institution William is destined to lead. "The institution being damaged by another round of Charles and Diana warfare is the institution William will eventually inherit," she explained. She questioned the utility of resurrecting disputed private conversations from 1997, asking how attacking the current King benefits Diana’s sons.
Sources indicate there is "considerable frustration and anger" within the palace, but the motivations differ. For King Charles, the anger is rooted in decades of being cast as the villain in the Diana narrative, a role he has endured since the hostile 1990s. For William, the anger is directed at the betrayal of a family trust that was supposed to shield his children from this exact kind of media circus.
While William feels blindsided, his brother Prince Harry appears to be playing a different game entirely. Page Six reports that Harry is allegedly staying on Spencer’s good side, with royal journalist Tom Sykes claiming the Duke of Sussex has been "wooing" his uncle. The motive?
Rumors suggest Harry and Meghan Markle are producing a documentary about Diana, and Spencer’s involvement could lend it credibility. "There is no denying [Spencer] is a big name, and he will give the documentary credibility," Sykes said. As Harry and Meghan have recently moved back to the UK after six years in Montecito, this maneuvering suggests a split strategy: William tries to contain the damage to the monarchy, while Harry leverages the family drama for Hollywood content. The feud between the brothers, which began in 2020, now has a new, spicy ingredient: their uncle’s checkbook.
