Victoria Ward and Hannah Furness
London: Prince Harry is in talks to make a documentary about his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
The London Telegraph understands that the Duke of Sussex wants to mark the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death, on August 31 next year, by honouring her legacy “in the most meaningful way”.
He has approached several friends and relatives of his late mother, including her brother, Earl Spencer, to ask whether they would take part in a documentary.
However, the earl, writing in his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, said he chose to write the book to avoid being a “talking head” in one of many productions planned about his sister, fearing they would follow a “flawed” agenda.
The earl made a series of claims in his book concerning the King, including disparaging remarks the latter is alleged to have made about the princess in the days after her death.
The duke’s decision to make a personal documentary is likely to infuriate the Prince of Wales, who has silently endured high-profile revelations about his family life from his brother in recent years.
A source close to Prince Harry told the Telegraph: “The duke has discussed a number of possible projects to mark the 30th anniversary of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales’s passing.
“Nothing has been finalised or confirmed, and he is still considering the most meaningful way to honour her legacy during this important anniversary year.”
Such a program would be produced by the Sussexes’ Archewell Productions and would probably be bought by Netflix, which has a “first look” deal with Harry and Meghan.
It will be viewed by some as a power move in the battle for the princess’s legacy. Kensington Palace has not commented on how Prince William might mark the anniversary.
Nine years ago, the brothers joined forces to contribute to two documentaries about their mother to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, but such a collaboration now appears inconceivable.
‘The truth is difficult’
In writing his memoir, published on Tuesday, the earl, 62, ensured he was first out of the blocks in the latest race to tell his late sister’s story. He told The Telegraph it deserved to be told “honestly, however uncomfortable for others”.
He said: “I was an eyewitness to history, and where the truth is difficult, I haven’t shied away from it.
“I did not consult any members of my family about the content of the book, as I did not want to implicate them in my authorial decisions, or to be constrained by them. I hope readers will see the book for what it is: an honest account.”
Neither Prince William nor Prince Harry were given any indication about the book’s contents. Similarly, the earl is not thought to have consulted his sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, about their memories, choosing instead to create an entirely personal record.
The memoir has already prompted a fierce war of words with Buckingham Palace about comments attributed to the King, who was the Prince of Wales when Diana died in Paris aged 36.
In the book, the earl claims that in the aftermath of her death, the King told him “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough”, and spoke to the earl with a “giddy tone”, like a “lottery winner”.
The palace swiftly responded with a rare statement suggesting the earl’s memory was false. A spokesman said the King was “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”.
The earl then accused the King of “gaslighting” him and being “astonishingly provocative”. In turn, royal sources accused the earl of “peddling what little remains” of the princess’s privacy and getting out his “crested carving knives” for the King.
Earl Spencer, who is expected to donate a portion of the memoir’s proceeds to charity, said he believed he had a duty to record his version of events.
He said: “Writing around Diana’s life has been heavily mythologised, and much of what’s been written about her has been notable for its inaccuracy.
“The 30th anniversary of her death is approaching; I am in my 60s now, and I feel the passage of time more sharply than I once did. I don’t want to reach the end of my own life having left my sister’s story to be told by people who never knew her.”
He added: “It is a personal account of my sister, Diana. It is not only her story, it is my story; a book which will stand the test of time.”
The earl continued: “As a historian, I believe Diana’s story deserves to be told honestly, however uncomfortable for others, and because silence has its own cost. I made the decision to write it a year ago, as I was being approached to take part in other people’s projects about her.”
In his book, he revealed that he had declined “endless, repeated” requests to contribute to documentaries about the princess, including from “Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton, and from Tony Blair’s [former] spin doctor, Alastair Campbell”.
He said he had decided to “tell things how I remember them” instead of following “an agenda set by some TV producer I will never meet”.
On Monday evening, Prince Harry made his third public appearance since moving back to the UK, attending the annual WellChild Awards in central London. He ignored a series of questions about his family as he was whisked inside the Royal Lancaster Hotel.
The duke said there was “not a dry eye in the house” at the ceremony, which celebrates children living with complex medical needs and their families, who “give it everything they’ve got every single day”.
He added: “To all the mums and dads – most of us will never truly know the emotional ups and downs of your day. But I sincerely hope that you take strength from nights like this. And while we may not know the detail of your day, in this room and beyond, we recognise the commitment of your care and all that comes with it.”
Harry and William have both spoken publicly about their mother, and have given their daughters Diana as a middle name. Their wives, Meghan and Catherine, regularly wear jewellery she owned.
However, Harry is more often associated with the princess through his own efforts to follow publicly in her footsteps. Last year, he visited Angola, where he was pictured walking through a minefield, just as his mother had in 1997.
He has likened the Duchess of Sussex to the princess, suggesting in their six-part Netflix documentary series Harry & Meghan that his wife’s popularity caused jealousy – as his mother’s had – and contributed directly to the rift with his brother and father.
The duke has also drawn parallels between his lengthy legal battle with the tabloid press and his mother’s experiences, saying the many revelations of phone hacking proved his mother had not been “paranoid”.
He has also spoken of having a photograph of the princess on the wall of the nursery in his home, and how Africa, where he sought solace after her death, was where he has felt closest to her.
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