Play store
Earl Charles Spencer, the younger brother of the late Princess Diana, has compared the media scrutiny faced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with the intense press attention his sister endured before her death.
Speaking to the BBC, Spencer said tabloid coverage of Diana and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could be “really, really unpleasant” and urged people to learn from Diana’s experience.
“I’m not here to speak for Harry and Meghan, but for anyone who’s being destroyed in this way daily, it must be such a cancerous influence in their life,” Spencer said.
He recalled how Diana was deeply affected by media criticism, saying she was “really brought low” by the coverage she received.
He added that it was unfortunate to see echoes of that treatment in the way Harry and Meghan are covered by the press.
Diana died aged 36 in a Paris car crash in 1997 while photographers were pursuing the vehicle carrying her.
Her death triggered widespread grief and renewed debate over the media’s role in covering the private lives of public figures.
Harry and Meghan have repeatedly criticised what they have described as a toxic media environment. They stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States, while also taking legal action against several British tabloid newspapers.
Spencer’s comments come as controversy continues over his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which contains claims about the royal family following Diana’s death.
Buckingham Palace has disputed his account, saying grief can affect memory and judgment over time.
